March 29, 2024

CloudsBigData

Epicurean Science & Tech

Solar storm from ‘canyon-like’ hole in the sun could hit Earth as soon as Thursday (Dec. 1)

3 min read

A “canyon-like” hole in the sun’s atmosphere has opened up and may launch a high-speed stream of solar wind into Earth’s magnetic field from Thursday (Dec. 1) to Friday (Dec. 2), and will possibly cause a minor geomagnetic storm, according to spaceweather.com (opens in new tab).

The coronal hole is a gigantic solar gulf stretching across the sun’s center. Coronal holes are areas in the sun’s upper atmosphere where our star’s electrified gas (or plasma) is less hot and dense than in other regions, which makes them appear black in contrast. Around these holes,the sun’s magnetic field lines, instead of looping back in on themselves, point outward into space, beaming solar material outwards at up to 1.8 million mph (2.9 million km/h), according to the Exploratorium, (opens in new tab) a science museum in San Francisco.

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