  Atmospheric escape from close-in exoplanets is thought to be crucial in
shaping observed planetary populations. Recently, significant progress has been
made in observing this process in action through excess absorption in transit
spectra and narrowband light curves. We model the escape of
initially-homogeneous planetary winds interacting with a stellar wind. The ram
pressure balance of the two winds governs this interaction. When the
impingement of the stellar wind on the planetary outflow is mild or moderate,
the planetary outflow expands nearly spherically through its sonic surface
before forming a shocked boundary layer. When the confinement is strong, the
planetary outflow is redirected into a cometary tail before it expands to its
sonic radius. The resultant transmission spectra at the He 1083 nm line are
accurately represented by a 1D spherical wind solution in cases of mild to
moderate stellar wind interaction. In cases of strong stellar wind interaction,
the degree of absorption is enhanced and the cometary tail leads to an extended
egress from transit. The crucial features of the wind--wind interaction are,
therefore, encapsulated in the light curve of He 1083 nm equivalent width as a
function of time. The possibility of extended He 1083 nm absorption well beyond
the optical transit carries important implications for planning
"out-of-transit" observations that serve as a baseline for in-transit data.
