NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a giant “hole” that was spotted on the sun that is 50 Earths wide and is shooting material out into space.
While the image is extremely beautiful and terrifying at the same time, don’t start to panic, because we are not in danger.
NASA revealed a photo taken on Oct. 10 at ultraviolet wavelength that shows what looks to be like large black gap that stretches out across the top of the star. The gap in the sun is what is known as a coronal hole, dark regions on the outermost layer of the sun — called the corona — that appear when the sun’s magnetic field moves away from areas in this layer and is open to interplanetary space. These holes are areas where the corona is darker and colder and has low-density plasma because there is lower energy and gas levels, which is why it looks darker than its surroundings.
Because the magnetic field is open to interplanetary space, solar particles or solar winds escape at high speeds of up to 500 miles per second.
As a result of the solar winds entering Earth’s atmosphere, Aurora Borealis occurs, so some lucky people will get a good light show. While there is no direct threat to us, the solar winds can disrupt satellite and radio communications. Forecasters at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G1-Minor storm advisory from the 14th to 16th of October, with initial predictions that auroras could be visible in Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon during this time period.
Coronal holes are normal and appear when is the sun is less active during its 11-year cycle.
