An enormous dark hole has opened up on the surface of the Sun and is emitting radioactive waves directly towards Earth.
According to scientists’ calculations, the size of the hole is equivalent to 60 Earths. This giant void is one of its unprecedented features.
The giant dark region, known as a coronal hole, formed near the star’s equator on December 2 and grew to about 800,000 kilometers wide within 24 hours.
According to Spaceweather.com, the dark void has been pointing directly at Earth since December 4.
These temporary holes are created when the magnetism in the Sun suddenly changes, causing radioactive plasma from the star’s upper surface to be ejected into the vacuum of space.
This causes radioactive plasma particles to travel through space and reach the Earth. In this case, the particles are called solar storms.
How is it different from a sunspot?
Coronal holes appear as dark spots because they are colder and less dense than the surrounding plasma.
Sunspots are darker for the same reason. But unlike sunspots, coronal holes can only be observed in ultraviolet light.
According to experts, the radiation streams from coronal holes are much faster than the plasma waves from the spots.
The last previously observed coronal hole in the Sun, which appeared in March, caused the most powerful geomagnetic storm on Earth in recent years.
It is not known how long the new hole will stay in the star. But previous coronal holes have been seen to last longer than 27 days.
Activity on the Sun intensifies
Scientists say that flares on the Sun will gradually increase and reach their peak in a few years. This is because the Sun is currently in an active phase.
Every 11 years, the star completes a calm or stormy cycle and starts a new one. The Sun is known to have entered its 25th cycle in 2019. The calmest of these cycles, when flares and spots on the star are minimized, is called the solar minimum.
The phases when sunspots increase and flares become more frequent are called “solar maxima”.
According to NASA, the star is currently going through a period of activity. This is why such giant spots are expected to appear on the Sun.
Scientists say that by 2025, when the solar maximum phase reaches its peak, the number of spots on the Sun could reach 115.
But the number of stains has already exceeded this number.
According to the data, the Sun produced more than 60 spots in June alone. This is the highest number in more than 20 years.
Astronomers therefore believe that this cycle of the Sun will be more active than expected.
