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Scientists warn that a giant "hole" on the surface of the Sun could unleash a solar storm at 2.9 million km/h towards Earth tomorrow, March 31.
A giant coronal hole 20 times larger than Earth has appeared on the Sun for the second time in less than a week, prompting scientists to warn of the impact of a solar storm on our planet, according to Global News. This coronal hole is emitting a solar storm (magnetic storm) at a speed of 2.9 million km/h, predicted to impact Earth tomorrow, March 31.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) discovered the second coronal hole on March 25, while the first coronal hole was discovered on March 23.
Last week, Earth witnessed the biggest magnetic storm in six years. Solar winds lit up the skies over Canada with auroras, and the phenomenon was even visible in the state of New Mexico (USA).
In soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images taken by SDO, coronal holes appear as dark regions in the corona (the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere). They appear dark because they are cooler and less dense than the surrounding plasma, and have open, monopolar magnetic fields.
This open magnetic field line structure allows the solar wind to escape into space more easily, creating fast solar wind streams, often called high-speed streams when analyzing structures in interplanetary space.
The second coronal hole (left) was discovered on March 25, while the first coronal hole was discovered on March 23. (Photo: Daily Mail)
Coronal holes blast solar wind into space, potentially damaging satellites and triggering spectacular auroras if they hit Earth. Scientists aren’t concerned about the new hole damaging infrastructure, but it could help create auroras in some parts of the world.
According to NASA, the appearance of a coronal hole is a completely normal phenomenon, but it is the location that makes it unique. "This one is special because it is close to the Sun's equator. Because the Sun rotates, an equatorial coronal hole can point towards Earth at some point," said Daniel Verscharen, associate professor of space physics at University College London.
Mr. Verscharen said that the solar storm from this special coronal hole will probably reach Earth between Friday night (March 31) and Saturday morning (April 1) this week.
Solar activity has been increasing since December 2019, leading to an increase in sunspots and solar storms, which are expected to peak in 2024.
According to VTC
