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How did Eugene Parker explain the solar wind?

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In 1958, the American astrophysicist Eugene Parker provided a theoretical explanation for the solar wind by analyzing the equations governing plasma flow within the Sun’s gravitational field.1

Parker demonstrated that these equations contained a specific solution allowing the solar gas to reach supersonic speeds, thereby enabling it to overcome the Sun’s gravitational pull and escape into space. He compared this phenomenon to the mechanics of a rocket nozzle, where the constriction of the flow is analogous to the influence of gravity.1

While others had proposed "solar-breeze" models, Parker predicted that the solar atmosphere would follow his supersonic solution. His hypothesis was subsequently confirmed by interplanetary satellite probes during the 1960s.1