Magnetic maps of the solar atmosphere reveal a crack longer than 700,000 km, from which the solar wind flies into the solar system. The presented image of the structure is based on data from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Astronomers call this phenomenon a coronal hole. This is the area where the solar magnetic field opens, allowing the solar wind to fly into space. Coronal orifices are quite common, they are formed every few weeks. However, this is remarkable for its unusually long and narrow form.
Fan-shaped ejection of gaseous material, emitted from the atmospheric crack, can reach our planet on Saturday, December 23. Observers of the polar sky have time to prepare for the appearance of auroras, which will bring the solar wind, when its charged particles will meet with the magnetosphere of the Earth.
