Huge Coronal Hole Turns Toward Earth - Spotless Sun
A huge hole in the sun's atmosphere has opened up and it is spewing solar wind into space. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is monitoring the structure, which sprawls across nearly half of the sun's northern hemisphere.
Coronal holes are regions where the sun's magnetic field peels back and allows solar wind to escape.
A stream of solar wind flowing from this hole is expected to reach Earth on July 21st, bringing a 40% chance of geomagnetic activity. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the solar wind arrives.
The sun is blank--no sunspots. Credit: SDO/HMI
Spotless Sun: Giant sunspot AR2665 has rotated onto the far side of the sun. It is gone, leaving behind ... nothing. The face of the sun is blank. With the sunspot number back at zero, the sun's march toward Solar Minimum has resumed.
Clips, images credit: NASA/SDO
