Second 'Giant Hole' Appears on Sun: Solar Winds to Hit Earth This Week

Space Defense can do little about our sun, except to better protect life and technology around and on earth when the sun is noticeably boisterous - like when a sun cycle is in solar minimum.

The jury still seems to be out about whether or not we are experiencing a Solar Minimum. The frequency and size of coronal holes suggests to some that we are.

The newest coronal hole being seen on the Sun is 30 times the size of Earth. It is not expected do damage.

"When the skies lit up last week with brilliant auroras that were spotted as far south as Arizona, it wasn't due to the coronal hole only.

It just so happens that several coronal mass ejections – huge eruptions of plasma being thrown into space – happened around the same time as the hole was facing Earth, creating a huge geomagnetic storm, which is why the effect was so strong.

In the case of this coronal hole, it's unlikely this will happen again, experts said. This is a shame for fans of auroras, but it's probably good news for planetary defense, as strong geomagnetic storms can wreak havoc on satellites, infrastructure, and radio signals."