In recent days, an unusual phenomenon has been observed on the Sun’s surface — the formation of a large coronal hole and its rapid expansion, which has become the focus of scientists’ attention. According to the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute (SRI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, this hole appeared on the side of the Sun facing the Earth and, over the past 24 hours, has sharply increased in area and size. Researchers note that the rate of this growth is approximately 50 percent.
Specialists explain that while such a phenomenon may be one of the usual astronomical processes, its consequences are unlikely to be insignificant. Coronal holes generally increase the speed and density of the solar wind flow. According to forecasts by scientists from the SRI laboratory, in a few days the solar wind speed near Earth will rise, potentially causing certain changes in the geomagnetic environment.
At present, strong darkening is being observed in the area of the hole not only in the upper but also in the lower layers of the Sun’s atmosphere. This indicates that the level of emission of radiating matter from the Sun’s internal layers is quite high. Such cases are usually extremely rare, which is why scientists are closely monitoring the process.
According to specialists’ forecasts, starting Monday, August 18, the speed of the solar wind near Earth will begin to increase, and by August 19–20, this figure may reach 800–900 kilometers per second. This is 2–2.5 times higher than normal speeds and is considered an extraordinarily powerful flow.
At the same time, the geomagnetic situation remains stable for now. Scientists state that even during the upcoming weekend, Earth’s magnetic field will remain steady. However, they consider the upcoming strengthening of the solar wind over the next seven to ten days to be the main factor capable of influencing the geomagnetic environment.
What consequences this process will lead to is not yet known, but it is noted that such powerful flows of solar wind can sometimes affect communication systems, the operation of artificial satellites, and even the intensity of the northern lights. Therefore, in the coming days, scientific centers will continue to closely observe this phenomenon.
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