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Originally Posted by The Bad Astronomer
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This is a quote from one of those links. It's only a paragraph, so I hope it's OK to quote it.
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The solar wind is approximately 95% protons or H+ ions (a Hydrogen atom which has lost one electron), 4% alpha particles or He+2 ions (a Helium atom which has lost two electrons) and 1% minor ions (Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Neon, Magnesium, Silicon and Iron are the most abundant). . . . Scientists assume that on the broad scale, there are no neutral particles or negative ions in the solar wind. The plasma that makes up the solar wind is either a positive ion or a free electron. Also, the solar wind is electrically neutral - it contains an equal numbers of positive and negative charges.
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This seems confusing to me. On one hand, it's saying that there are no negative ions. But then it says that the "plasma that makes up the solar wind" has free electrons. And that the solar wind is electrically neutral. How is the solar wind neutral if it is 95% H+, 4% He+2 and 1% minor ions?