New Hole in Sun's Atmosphere Lets Particles Spew Out

By Harrison Tasoff, Space.com Staff Writer | November 20, 2017 05:04pm ET

A large, dark "hole" has opened up in the sun's atmosphere, allowing solar winds to rush out into space — an ordinary occurrence, but a spectacular one to see.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this ultraviolet image of the coronal hole on Nov. 8, with the space agency releasing the image Monday (Nov. 20).

Broad holes can open up in the sun's upper atmosphere, or corona, as a result of the star's dynamic magnetic field, according to a NASA statement that accompanied the image. Just as the magnetic field's kinks and bends can cause sunspots and solar flares, they can also open temporary holes in the corona. Like the hole in the ozone layer on Earth, a coronal hole doesn't actually go through the sun's atmosphere. It's simply a region that is cooler and less dense than the surrounding plasma. [The Sun in HD: Amazing Photos by the Solar Dynamics Observatory]

More:
https://www.space.com/38842-nasa-spots-new-hole-in-sun.html?utm_source=notification