A large hole capable of generating solar winds north of a million miles per hour has appeared on the surface of the sun for the second time in March 2023. It is known as a coronal hole - and this one is 20 times bigger than Earth. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spotted it, and it sent super-fast solar winds of 1.8 million miles per hour hurtling towards our planet as March drew to a close.
It emerged just a week after an even bigger coronal hole was observed, which released such powerful winds it caused stunning displays of auroras in parts of the world. But they do also have the potential impact on some infrastructure, chiefly satellites in the Earth’s orbit.
Scientists say we are in the midst of a period of heightened solar activity that may increase the number of phenomena like flares, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storms.
The Sun constantly sheds solar material into space – both in a steady....
