A dark gap in the sun's northern atmosphere--a "coronal hole"--is spewing solar wind into space. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is monitoring the opening, shown here in an extreme UV image taken during the early hours of March 27th:
Coronal holes are places where the sun's magnetic field opens up and allows solar wind to escape. The sun is literally boiling itself away. Solar wind flowing from this particular coronal hole is expected to reach Earth on March 30-31. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the solar wind arrives.
Spaceweather
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