A Hole has Opened in the Sun's Atmosphere
A hole has opened in the sun's atmosphere, and it is spewing a stream of solar wind into space.
An extreme ultraviolet telescope onboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the structure turning to face Earth on Jan. 24th.
Coronal holes (CH) are regions in the sun's atmosphere where the magnetic field opens up and allows solar wind to escape. A gaseous stream emerging from this coronal hole should reach Earth on or about Jan. 27th.
Auroras are in the offing later this week.
Solar activity was very low. Region 2628 (N12E07, Dso/beta) was relatively stable over the period while slight decay was observed in Regions 2626 (N08W63, Hsx/alpha) and 2627 (N06W12, Dai/beta).
Solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for C-class flares and a slight chance for M-class flares (R1-R2, Minor-Moderate) over the next three days (24-26 Jan) due to the flare potential from Regions 2627 and 2628.
Clips. images credit: NASA/SDO
