Coronal hole on sun's surface - NASA
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory released dramatic video this week showing a very active sun sporting an enormous coronal hole along with a mass of solar material lifting off the sun's surface and swirling about.
According to NASA, the coronal hole is larger than 50 Earths and covers almost the entire northern hemisphere of the sun, an estimated 8 to 10 percent of the total solar surface, making it one of the largest polar holes scientists have observed in decades.
Scientists explain that coronal holes spew out fast solar wind -- traveling an estimated 400-500 miles per second -- roughly twice the speed of the normal solar wind causing material to stream off the sun and into the solar system.
In the videos below -- one provided by NWR -- the coronal hole can be seen evolving. In the other -- provided by NASA -- a huge solar wind sweeps in picking up material over a 10-hour period.
Watch the videos below, via YouTube:
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