NASA’s Solar Dynamics
Observatory freshly spotted something strange on the Sun, a square hole. There
are high-speed solar winds firing out of this area, and the absence of material
makes the UV image look dark in contrast to nearby areas. This hole was spotted
in a video that composed data from May 5-7. The SDO’s explanation on the
YouTube video states “Inside the coronal hole you can see bright loops where
the hot plasma outlines little pieces of the solar magnetic field sticking
above the surface. Because it is positioned so far south on the Sun, there is
less chance that the solar wind stream will impact us here on Earth.” According to NASA: "A coronal hole is an
area where high-speed solar wind streams into space. It appears dark in extreme
ultraviolet light as there is less material to emit in these wavelengths." Scientists still aren’t sure
what bases these coronal holes, but they are connected to the variations in the
solar cycle when the magnetic poles converse.
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| Photo credit: NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory |