Phenomenon
Aurora (Northern/Southern Lights)
Solar wind painting the upper atmosphere.
Charged particles from the Sun strike oxygen and nitrogen 80–400 km up, glowing green, red, and violet.
See also
Meteor Showers
Cosmic dust burning in our atmosphere.
Solar Flare
A sudden explosive release of solar energy.
Poynting–Robertson Effect
Solar radiation dragging dust grains sunward.
Sputtering (Atmospheric)
Atmosphere knocked off by solar-wind ions.
Magnetosphere
A planet's magnetic shield against the solar wind.
Bow Shock
Where a magnetosphere meets the solar wind head-on.