A “hole” in the sun’s atmosphere may produce a dazzling light show on Earth in the coming days.
The mild aurora borealis watch on Friday (March 24) is in effect at Earth’s higher latitudes because of a coronal hole, which is an opening in the sun’s magnetic field, according to the US National Weather Service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Opens in a new tab) (NOAA).
When these holes open up in the corona, the sun’s upper atmosphere, they allow an increasing outflow of charged particles known as the solar wind. In similar cases, coronal holes have triggered auroral displays as far south as New York and Idaho, according to spaceweather.com (Opens in a new tab).
Related: Unprecedented strange swirl spotted around the sun’s north pole
The sun has been busy in recent months as it climbs toward the expected 2025 peak of its 11-year activity cycle. For example, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recently spotted a giant “tornado” circling across the sun’s north pole.
Over the course of three days last week, boiling plasma rose high above the sun’s surface, peaking at 14 planet altitudes or about 75,000 miles (120,000 kilometers) on March 18. When the tornado collapsed, the ejected matter did not fly towards our planet. .
Most solar activity is harmless, increasing the aurora borealis and causing minor radio blackouts, but NASA, NOAA, and other groups only keep watch on the sun 24/7. Powerful solar storms can sometimes short satellites or affect electrical power supplies, such as the blackout in Quebec, Canada that occurred in 1989.
In recent years, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have also launched satellites that approach the sun to examine the corona and structures on the surface. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter are seeking a better understanding of the sun’s composition to improve space weather forecasts and continue to protect our planet, its ocean, spacecraft, and humans alike.
Elizabeth Howell is co-author of “Why am I taller (Opens in a new tab)? (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book on space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @employee (Opens in a new tab). Follow us on Twitter @employee (Opens in a new tab) or Facebook (Opens in a new tab).
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