Kthonius
13th February 2011, 20:21
I'm not able to post in the Solar Activity subforum, so perhaps a moderator would be kind enough to relocate this?
http://www.space.com/images/i/8010/i02/japan-sun-photo.jpg
LINK: http://www.space.com/10825-sun-holes-space-photo-hinode.html
Twelve days ago, on 1 Feb, the Japanese probe Hinode (or «Solar-B») photographed two large holes in the sun's coronal field. You can see them in the above photo (which is also in the space.com article): they are the two large dark regions in the middle of the sun, one toward the top, the other mostly hidden from view in the sun's polar region.
Astrophysics is not my field of study, but here is what I know. The holes allow gas to escape from the sun into the solar system, and also allow streams of charged particles to shoot out in the form of solar wind. Solar wind affects the heliosphere around the solar system, and can disrupt Earth's magnetosphere, causing geomagnetic storms.
Coronal holes are not uncommon, but they are usually much smaller than this, and they are usually found only at the poles except during solar maxima. The next solar maximum is currently predicted to be in 2013.
This particular event is probably nothing to be worried about, but it is still worth nothing, especially considering the predictions being made about the sun, both in the mainstream and alternative media.
http://www.space.com/images/i/8010/i02/japan-sun-photo.jpg
LINK: http://www.space.com/10825-sun-holes-space-photo-hinode.html
Twelve days ago, on 1 Feb, the Japanese probe Hinode (or «Solar-B») photographed two large holes in the sun's coronal field. You can see them in the above photo (which is also in the space.com article): they are the two large dark regions in the middle of the sun, one toward the top, the other mostly hidden from view in the sun's polar region.
Astrophysics is not my field of study, but here is what I know. The holes allow gas to escape from the sun into the solar system, and also allow streams of charged particles to shoot out in the form of solar wind. Solar wind affects the heliosphere around the solar system, and can disrupt Earth's magnetosphere, causing geomagnetic storms.
Coronal holes are not uncommon, but they are usually much smaller than this, and they are usually found only at the poles except during solar maxima. The next solar maximum is currently predicted to be in 2013.
This particular event is probably nothing to be worried about, but it is still worth nothing, especially considering the predictions being made about the sun, both in the mainstream and alternative media.