Starship Asterisk*

Hole in the Sun

Explanation: This ominous, dark shape sprawling across the face of the Sun is a coronal hole -- a low density region extending above the surface where the solar magnetic field opens freely into interplanetary space. Studied extensively from space since the 1960s in ultraviolet and x-ray light, coronal holes are known to be the source of the high-speed solar wind, atoms and electrons which flow outward along the open magnetic field lines. During periods of low activity, coronal holes typically cover regions just above the Sun's poles. But this extensive coronal hole dominated the Sun's northern hemisphere earlier this week, captured here in extreme ultraviolet light by cameras onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The solar wind streaming from this coronal hole triggered auroral displays on planet Earth.

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________________________________ Hole in the Sun

Lately the Sun hasn't had any sun spots.

APOD Robot wrote: Hole in the Sun

Explanation: This ominous, dark shape sprawling across the face of the Sun is a coronal hole -- a low density region extending above the surface where the solar magnetic field opens freely into interplanetary space.

A hole that extends above the surface? That's all quite confusing. Why call it a hole? I know it's low density; but does that make it a hole???

Ann wrote:Neufer, you're lucky that you don't live back in the time when it was sacrilege to suggest that the Sun had any spots, let alone to imply that it had any serious imperfections. Surely you know that the Sun is orbiting too high above the Earth to be tainted by its corruption?

(( laughing )) youse guys are the most!!!

Seeing today's APOD, I immediately considered the horror if the Earth suddenly opened up such an enormous "hole" in its northern henisphere. Fortunately for the sun, it's apparently not solid but an enormous dynamic flux that can "heal" itself rather quickly.

Years ago, I did a little spelunking and always enjoyed the coolness I found in the caves. What is really astonishing is that this coolness gives way to much warmer temperatures as you go farther beneath the Earth's surface - witness the temperatures that those Chilean miners are enduring as they wait for rescue.

Also years ago, I read a National Geographic article that described the "heat tolerance" training that African mine workers had to go through before they were accepted to work in those mines .... there sure isn't any heat tolerance training available for us to personally explore anywhere near the sun ...

Anyone know off hand know if there is a correlation between coronal hole size / location and pole shift effects?

Huladog wrote:Anyone know off hand know if there is a correlation between coronal hole size / location and pole shift effects?

What are "pole shift effects"?