NASA Captures Sun's Wicked Smile; Should Earthlings Prepare For Solar Storms?

No, it’s not your imagination, NASA’s latest image of the Sun actually shows the star’s grin. But there’s a scientific reason to explain the “smile.” The marquee space agency took to Twitter to explain that the phenomenon is an example of “coronal holes.” These holes appear on the Sun when "fast solar wind gushes out into space."

The photo captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the Sun’s wicked smile and also suggests that real-life solar events on Earth could be devastating.

Is Sun Getting Ready To Spew Solar Winds?

According to Washington Post, coronal holes as shown in the image appear only when the Sun is readying itself to throw out solar winds at extremely high velocities.

"More so than a smiley face, its eyes are like gleaming laser beams sending particles that can cause severe disruptions to the atmosphere on Earth," Brian Keating, a physics professor at the University of California, told the Washington Post.

Keating added that if Earth is bombarded with these particles in small doses, it will result in the breathtaking Aurora Borealis. However, if they come in large numbers, Earthlings might experience huge electromagnetic storms that could hamper our telecommunication equipment.

Should Earthlings Be Ready For A Solar Storm?

While there’s no concrete evidence to predict an electromagnetic storm, the physics professor warns, it’s highly likely. Back in 1859, a huge geomagnetic storm occurred, causing fires at several telegraph stations.

There was a similar coronal hole observed on the Sun in 2014, Keating suggests that the Earth is long due for a huge storm, and scientists have been warning about such events for a long time now.

"Scientists expect that to happen on average, with a couple percent probability, every year, and we’ve just dodged all these magnetic bullets for so long," Keating to Washington Post.

Earth Isn’t Alone

Scientists recently discovered an extraordinary heat wave in Jupiter’s atmosphere. The temperatures of the gas giant surged to a whopping 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit. The team of researchers behind the study was led by James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Astronomers are still looking for answers as to why Jupiter experiences extreme temperatures, even without these heat waves. The planet only gets 4% of the warming sunlight compared to Earth, which should ideally take its temperature a lot lower.