NASA recently released images from their Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) that revealed a massive dark spot on the Sun. However, the spot only appears dark because the photo was captured in wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light. This Coronal hole is a magnetically open area in the aura of plasma that surrounds the Sun from which high-speed solar wind streams into space.
Conspiracy theorist were quick to jump on the photos and claimed that the Sun is disintegrating, but we have nothing to fear. While this one is large, Coronal holes are a common occurrence. This isn’t the first time a large Coronal hole has been observed either. On June 18th, 2013 a hole 400,000 miles across (nearly half the sun’s diameter) was spotted.
SDO has been observing the sun since 2010 with a goal of gaining a better scientific understanding of the relationship between the Sun and Earth, how the Sun’s magnetic field is generated and structured, and how solar wind is created. If there was anything to worry about, we would know.
