A coronal hole has opened on the Sun, covering 1/4 of its circumference. NASA's ultraviolet cameras show it as a massive dark spot in the star's atmosphere.
The IKI RAN said that along the magnetic field lines of the solar corona, hot gas tends to escape outward, as it is its natural property to expand indefinitely. As a result, the luminous substance in the region of coronal holes disappears, forming dark zones. Streams of gas continuously flow from them.
The main property of coronal holes is that they significantly increase the speed of the solar wind in the space surrounding them. The increase in solar wind speed will begin as early as Monday. By the evening, it will grow from the current 400 km/s to 600-700 km/s and will remain at this level throughout the week.
A smooth increase in speed does not in itself lead to magnetic storms, but the shape of this hole is complex - dark areas alternate with bright ones. Therefore, the wind speed can change dramatically, rocking the Earth's magnetic field.
Experts do not yet predict magnetic storms. The sun is in the green zone, but this may change in the near future.