A large dark hole that scientists say is wider than 60 Earths has currently opened up on the sun's surface, and is sending out "powerful streams of unusually fast radiation, known as solar wind."
Space.com reports the dark patch is known as a coronal hole and began taking shape around the sun's equator on Dec. 2.
At its maximum, the hole's width measured approximately 497,000 miles.
The report goes on to say that the solar wind is headed towards Earth, with experts predicting it could set off a moderate geomagnetic storm that could trigger some radio blackouts.
NASA says coronal holes "appear dark because they are cooler, less dense regions than the surrounding plasma and are regions of open, unipolar magnetic fields. This open, magnetic field line structure allows the solar wind to escape more readily into space, resulting in streams of relatively fast solar wind and is often referred to as a high speed stream in the context of analysis of structures in interplanetary space."
