Images of the sun show magnetic field

NASA released a stunning image taken from its Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) which shows a massive dark hole – a large coronal hole – on the surface of the Sunday.

The gash is known as a coronal hole, which isn’t actually a hole at all, but an area of sun’s outer layer that appears darker and features colder, less dense, low-energy gas and plasma. To an ordinary observer, the gaping hole would be invisible, though you should NEVER stare at the sun because serious eye damage can result.

Though many geomagnetic storms are associated with clouds of solar material that explode from the sun in an event called a coronal mass ejection, or CME, this storm was caused by an especially fast stream of solar wind. If aimed toward Earth, that spells the makings of a geomagnetic storm: a phenomenon that can affect power and navigation for satellites orbiting the Earth as well as radio communication.

About a week ago, a few seriously cool auroras formed in the sky above the UK.

“Geomagnetic storms caused by high-speed solar wind streams aren’t uncommon”, says Leila Mays, a space physicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

As explained at the time, the surprise auroras formed because of high-speed solar winds reaching our planet and delivering high-energy particles to its atmosphere. Thus, bright auroras will likely continue — at least around the Arctic Circle.