January 4 - NASA detects enormous 'coronal hole' on Sun�s South Pole

Article: Signs Of The Last Times
																																																																																								
																																																																																																																																																			A giant dark hole has appeared on the sun�s flaming surface, a recently-taken NASA picture has revealed. So far, scientists are stumped by why this spectacular phenomenon, known as a �coronal hole,� occurs.

																																																																																																																																																			What modern science knows is that �coronal holes� are places where particles leave the sun�s surface at huge speeds - of up to 500 miles per hour (800 kilometers per hour). What�s still unclear is why this is happening. 

																																																																																																																																																			The sun�s glowing comes from the �trapped� particles. The coronal holes �contain little solar material, have lower temperatures, and therefore, appear much darker.�   

																																																																																																																																																			The coronal holes on the sun�s poles may be seen for five or more years. Their shape can vary greatly, though. It�s assumed that high-speed winds of solar particles coming out of the sun�s dark holes can cause geomagnetic storms and auroras on Earth.

																																																																																																																																																			In October 2014, just before Halloween, NASA took a photo of the sun resembling a jack-o'-lantern. The storms and flares on the surface of the sun actually gave a carved pumpkin appearance to the sun, as seen from the Earth.