The 500,000-mile wide hole has cracked open the sun's atmosphere, leaving a gap over 62 times the diameter of Earth from which high-speed solar winds are now shooting towards us

The gigantic coronal hole is blasting high-speed solar wind toward Earth, potentially igniting vibrant auroras and minor geomagnetic activity on Jan. 31.

Solar material is gusting out of the dark patch in the Sun's corona towards Earth at more than a million miles per hour.

Researchers have created an improved traffic light system for predicting geomagnetic storms. They are now testing how well these algorithms can prepare us for incoming space storms that can wreak havoc by knocking out satellites in space and power grids on Earth.

A vast 500,000-mile-wide coronal hole has opened in the Sun's atmosphere. The area measures over 62 times the diameter of Earth and is now shooting high-speed solar wind toward Earth.

A solar explosion called a coronal mass ejection is poised to graze Earth on Friday or Saturday (Jan. 24 or Jan. 25), potentially triggering colorful auroras over the northern U.S.

While G1 storms are considered the mildest category, they can still have noticeable effects, particularly in terms of aurora visibility at higher latitudes.

A coronal mass ejection earlier this week may pull the northern lights to more northern U.S. states, forecasters said.

There are two giant holes in the Sun right now which could create impactful space weather for Earth in early February.

Aurora also offers two shorter expeditions in 2026: the 17-day Arctic Golden Autumn & Northern Lights itinerary in August and the 18-day Northern Lights Explorer in September. The line will also have another 29-day Northwest Passage expedition in August 2026 aboard one of its other polar vessels, Greg Mortimer.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the Sacramento area until Sunday at 4 p.m., with wind gusts up to 55 mph and a 70% chance of rain, and the Placerville area expecting 4 to six inches of snow.