Effects on magnetic field
Huge “holes” discovered on the sun – what does that mean for our planet?
In the last week, NASA researchers have observed two so-called coronal holes on the sun’s surface. They unleash winds at speeds of 1.8 million miles per hour that head toward Earth.
published
The image, released March 29, 2023, shows one of the two coronal holes on the Sun.
spaceweather.com
The hole is 20 times larger than Earth.
NASA, Solar Dynamics Observatory
In the past week, NASA researchers had observed a first hole. It unleashed solar winds that triggered stunning aurora borealis as far south as southern Arizona.
NASA, Solar Dynamics Observatory
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Coronal holes have been observed on the Sun for several days.
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A hole discovered Wednesday is releasing solar winds traveling at 1.8 million miles per hour.
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Winds toward Earth are expected around Friday on our planet.
A huge “hole” has formed on the sun’s surface, which is 20 times larger than the earth. This so-called coronal hole releases solar winds at a speed of 2.9 million kilometers per hour. Winds toward Earth are expected around Friday on our planet.
Researchers at NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory are watching the situation closely, as solar winds are affecting Earth’s magnetic field and satellites, which in turn could affect the internet, cellphone networks and GPS.
In most cases, solar winds are harmless
The newly discovered hole is one of two huge coronal holes that have been visible in recent weeks. The first was 30 times the size of Earth and was observed on March 23. It unleashed solar winds that triggered stunning aurora borealis as far south as southern Arizona.
Coronal holes are areas of the solar corona and are a common and harmless phenomenon on the Sun. “These are open magnetic fields from which fast solar winds arise,” says the NASA website. Normally, the solar winds cause natural light effects in the sky. Strong enough, however, they can also disrupt satellites in space, power grids, and GPS navigation systems.
Daniel Scharen, Professor of Space and Climate Physics at University College London, told Business Insider that the location of the hole was “very interesting” because it usually occurs near the solar equator. “I would expect some fast winds to hit the earth from this coronal hole around Friday evening through Saturday morning this week.”
First observed in the early 1970s
Coronal holes were first discovered by NASA’s Skylab spacecraft in the early 1970s, but researchers are still unsure what caused them to form.
According to Wikipedia, they can occur at any time of the solar cycle — the cycle that the Sun’s magnetic field goes through about every eleven years — but they’re most common during the waning phase of the cycle. The current solar cycle began in 2019 and is expected to last until around 2030.