NASA’s SDO Detects Presence Of Giant Coronal Hole On Sun

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has spotted a giant hole on the surface on the Sun called "coronal hole." The images were captured by the SDO using special imaging over the course of two days from May 17 to May 19.

According to NASA, coronal holes are low-density regions of the sun's atmosphere, known as the corona. The coronal holes appear much darker than the surrounding area because they contain little solar material and have lower temperatures. Coronal holes are visible in certain types of extreme ultraviolet light, which is not visible to the naked eye.

The solar winds produced from these holes have the potential to create geomagnetic storms on the Earth which can disturb communications in all forms and also affect astronauts' on deeper space mission.

 Currently, researchers aren't even sure of what causes these mysterious low-density regions on the sun.

"While it's unclear what causes coronal holes, they correlate to areas on the sun where magnetic fields soar up and away, without looping back down to the surface, as they do elsewhere," said Karen C. Fox and Steele Hill of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in a joint statement, reported Nature World News.

As far as the holes are concerned, NASA has assured the coronal hole observed by its Solar Dynamics Observatory isn't a cause for any concern since coronal holes are regular phenomena exhibited by the sun.

The space agency claims that study of these holes are important as they help scientists understand the area around Earth better. This understanding allows the space agency to plan space travel more effectively in certain aspects.

These holes are also the source of a high-speed wind of solar particles that streams off the sun some three times faster than the slower wind elsewhere. The solar wind escapes and creates a lower density and lower temperature in areas of the coronal hole.