A new coronal hole 20 times the size of Earth has appeared in the Sun.
Within two weeks, the second giant coronal hole appeared in the Sun, which is 20 times larger than our planet. A stream of plasma has escaped from this hole at 2.8 million km and will reach Earth on the evening of Friday, March 31 or Saturday morning, April 1, writes Futurism.
in 24News Breaker. Technology emerged telegraph channel. Subscribe so you don’t miss the latest and exciting news from the world of science!
Last week, as mentioned earlier FocusA massive stream of plasma escaped from the same giant coronal hole that reached Earth on Friday, March 24, resulting in the strongest geomagnetic storm of the past 6 years. As a result of this event, radio communications were interrupted for a time, as sometimes happens, but most importantly, the aurora shifted much further south than it usually appears. Scientists predict something similar this time around.
But unlike its predecessor, the new coronal hole is located closer to the Sun’s equator. In principle, such gifts most often occur closer to the poles of our star. Scientists believe that solar particles reaching Earth won’t do much harm. A not very strong geomagnetic storm, which occurs as a result of the interaction of solar particles with the Earth’s atmosphere, will lead to the appearance of colorful auroras.
The fact is that according to scientists’ predictions, most of the plasma flow will bypass the Earth, and a strong geomagnetic storm will not appear, as last week. According to Daniel Versharen of University College London, this coronal hole is of particular scientific interest because of its location on the Sun.
According to astronomers, as our star slowly approaches the peak of its activity during its 11-year solar cycle, coronal holes begin to appear closer to the Sun’s equator. It is easier for plasma streams to escape into space at great speed through coronal holes in the sun’s surface. And if Earth is currently in the path of such a flow, then a geomagnetic storm will certainly appear. According to Versharen, we shouldn’t expect such bright auroras this time, and they won’t be far from Earth’s polar regions.
The scientist explains that a very powerful geomagnetic storm last week was not just the result of the release of plasma from a coronal hole. At the same time, streams of plasma also escaped the sunspots, and all these solar particles rushed towards our planet.
“I don’t think it’s worth worrying too much about. If the Sun suddenly has a coronal mass ejection in the coming days, then a very strong geomagnetic storm could appear. But it’s very difficult to predict,” Versharen says.
Moreover Focus He wrote that a large solar “hurricane” had recently appeared on the Sun, images of which were sent to Earth by spacecraft. The height of this vortex was equivalent to 10 Earth dimensions.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.