It looks like a Halloween pumpkin! Coincidence or…
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recently captured and shared an image of the sun “smiling.”
The photo of a glowing sun with two black holes on top of another crescent-shaped “smile” was captured, and shared on NASA Sun’s official Twitter page, “Say cheese!”
“These dark patches on the Sun seen in ultraviolet light are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space,” the caption reads.
It’s cute, yes! Though the adorable image of the Sun was certainly a treat, it also had a few tricks…
NASA further explained that the coronal holes you see on the Sun prompted a minor geomagnetic storm watch on Sunday (October 29) with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center warning that the holes would “enhance and disturb the solar wind environment, leading to unsettled conditions.”
Ahh, that sounds scary!
According to NASA, coronal holes are dark areas of the sun that appear to be cooler and less dense than the surrounding regions and have open magnetic fields. These characteristics make it easier for "streams of relatively fast solar wind" to escape.
The holes can form at any time and in any location on the sun, and the winds can produce geomagnetic storms ranging from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme), which have the potential to disrupt power and other systems on Earth as well as spacecraft operations.
But don’t panic! So far there are no geomagnetic storms or "significant transient or recurring solar wind features" expected as of Monday.
What do you guys think of the “smiling” Sun? Cute kan?!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
