A gigantic hole in the solar crown is oriented in front of the earth!
The solar crown has two huge coronal holes oriented towards earth. © SDO (NASA)
Two gargantuan holes of the sun, so -called coronal, are currently oriented towards us, evidenced by the images of the solar dynamic orbit (sdo) satellite of NASA. The largest is more than 250,000 km wide, more than 20 times the size of the earth.
Magnificent shot of the solar crown during the 2015 solar eclipse. © M. Druckmüller, S. Habbal, P. Aniol, P. Štarha
What is a coronal hole?
The sun is a plasma ball, namely gas heated to 5500 ° C on the surface, but it is also surrounded by a large envelope called Chromosphere, the same as we see in red on the photos of our star . The solar crown is still beyond the chromosphere and it is much more extensive than the sun itself, which already measures almost 1.4 million kilometers in diameter.
A solar rash in the chromosphere. © NASA / SDO
The chromosphere is the maximum activity area of the sun, this is where solar eruptions occur, for example. A coronal hole is therefore a window open to the magnetic activity of the shiny star, inducing an easier propagation of the particles loaded in space, those which cause magnetic storms on earth.
An episode of northern lights in France in the coming days?
That said, these are always very difficult to predict. We can thus note the absence of solar spots directly under this coronal hole on the images of the SDO:
Solar spots arrive by the west limbe … © NASA/ SDO
Is it so that we will have to make a cross on a magnificent spectacle above our heads? No. Already, the presence of solar spots is not directly correlated with eruptions, even if a link exists well. Let us say that they are not a necessary condition … In addition, this huge coronal hole is sufficient to let pass a solar wind, very powerful flow of particles consisting essentially of ions and electrons. Consequently, if the magnetic field of the earth is willing to position itself favorably (that is to say oriented southern As we explained here), this may be worth going out with your camera in night mode and long break.
He will follow this website and the KP index which should be at least 7, even 8 for more security. You can also follow X account (ex-owner) And Bluesky of the author of these lines, which will not fail to inform you if the conditions are met to see the night sky turned into a real magic.
We would like to see that (photo of October 11, 2024 in the south of France). © Sylvain Gairaud & Brice Haziza
