Posted on 03/28/2023 21:13
(Image credit: NASA/SDO/AIA)
A new hole in the sun’s atmosphere could cause the solar wind to pick up and hit planet Earth later this week. Last week, a coronal hole created a powerful geomagnetic storm that put satellites on high alert. The event is being monitored by the Fairbanks Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska.
According to the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), the coronal hole is a region of the solar corona that is colder due to open unipolar magnetic fields through which particles that produce the solar wind escape.
“When the particles are trapped in the magnetic arcs (closed magnetic field lines), they are heated and produce the areas of intense brightness seen in solar images. Once the particles exit the Sun, they are no longer heated, reducing the observed brightness in the corona and making the coronal hole region darker,” explains Inpe.
These phenomena were first observed in 1973. Geomagnetic storms are caused by solar emissions that emit radiation and cause changes when they reach the Earth’s magnetic field.
“They generally occur as the Sun approaches its maximum activity (solar maximum), which occurs in 11year cycles. Storms can cause technological problems, but they do not pose a risk to human health,” Inpe stresses.
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