A hole five times larger than Jupiter has formed in the Sun (5 photos + 1 video)
Over the past few days, you may have noticed that there is more natural light, flickering to remind us that we are just specks of dust in the vast universe. Scientists have detected a coronal hole on the surface of the Sun, the size of which is five times the diameter of Jupiter. It emits powerful streams of solar wind. 
A huge hole in the Sun releases a powerful solar wind that sweeps across the solar system. 
A coronal hole is a region of the solar corona with cooler plasma that occurs when the Sun's magnetic field lines open up.
A few days ago it was directed towards the Earth, but caused a moderate geomagnetic storm.
Coronal hole - a temporary region of relatively cold plasma in the solar corona 
The sun is approaching the peak of its next 11-year cycle of activity. As you might expect, flares, coronal holes and coronal mass ejections are occurring more frequently.
It is currently pointing in the opposite direction from Earth. 
Solar maximum is expected to occur in 2024. The cycle lasts 11 years, it is determined by or coincides with the magnetic cycles of the Sun, during which the magnetic field changes polarity, and its north and south poles switch places.
The sun is approaching peak activity 
Unlike sunspots, coronal holes are visible only in the ultraviolet range.
Take a look at the amazing phenomenon:
According to Spaceweather, the length of the hole is about 800,000 km. The diameter of Jupiter is about 140,000 km, that of Earth is 12,742 km.
The hole was facing Earth around December 2, and the solar wind reached us on December 4 and 5.
However, the geomagnetic storm turned out to be not as powerful as scientists expected.
According to experts, such formation can persist for more than one revolution of the Sun, which is 27 days.
