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NASA took a photo of the ‘smiling’ sun. It’s not as cute as it looks.

NASA took a photo of the 'smiling' sun.  It's not as cute as it looks.
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Seems like anyone who drew a smiling sun as a kid scientifically carried out – somewhat – true. Last week, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an image of the largest object in our solar system, resembling the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the movie “Ghostbusters,” the baby-faced “Teletubbies” sun, or a jack-o’-lantern. Back in the Halloween spirit).

But what does it look like and Scrub Dad sponge Setting fire to fire may not be as cute as it seems. For us here on Earth, sun emoji can generate and beautiful seeing aurora – or may indicate problems for the planet’s telecommunications systems.

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The Sun, in essence, said “the largest nuclear reactor in our solar system.” Brian KeatingProfessor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. Every second there is a flurry of action in the huge, spinning, glowing ball of hot gas, from hydrogen to helium, which emits the same amount of heat as a few nuclear bombs, to electric storms and solar earthquakes.

Some of this solar activity was photographed Wednesday by NASA’s satellite, Keating told the Washington Post.

In the image, the triple patches that make up the “face” that are invisible to the human eye because they are in the ultraviolet spectrum are what are known as coronal holes, or slightly cooler parts of the sun’s outer layer. usually has a temperature of about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

“We’re talking about a few hundred degrees, so it doesn’t look like a ski resort,” Keating said. “But because they’re so dark and we’re looking at ultraviolet radiation that’s invisible to the naked eye, [NASA satellite] sees them as dark holes.”

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Coronal holes only interesting shapes moving on the sun’s surface. These are areas of high magnetic field activity that constantly send the solar wind – or a stream of protons, electrons and other particles – into the universe.

“More than a smiling face, his eyes are like glowing laser beams that send out particles that can cause serious disruptions to Earth’s atmosphere,” Keating said. Said.

When electrically charged particles hit the planet in tiny bits doses colorful auroras It can follow this up by presenting bright images caused by gases in the atmosphere interacting with the energy sprouts that blast the sun’s gas. Keating said that problems arise when large numbers of tiny particles hit the Earth. Instead of being pulled into the Earth’s magnetic field, they can be picked up by radio antennas and disrupt radio, television, and other communication channels. Keating added that a solar storm in the north could even damage power grids and cause blackouts.

On December 14, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flew through the Sun’s upper atmosphere and sampled particles and magnetic fields there. (Video: NASA Goddard)

Duration Images of a smiling sun have been taken before – for example, after 2013 “I ate a comet” or NASA’s in 2014 “Pumpkin Sun”– The worst-case scenario Keating describes did not happen in almost two centuries. The last intense geomagnetic storm that affected the world so much, 1859 Carrington EventIt caused fires at several telegraph stations and auroras appeared in the tropics.

“Such a big event has been long overdue,” he said.

“Scientists expect this to happen, on average, with a probability of a few percent each year, and we’ve eluded all these magnetic bullets for a very long time,” Keating said. “So it can be really scary, and the consequences can be much more dramatic, especially in our current technology-dependent society.”

Solar particles from the latest smile event could reach Earth just in time for the most ghostly night of the year.

“We might have something on our way for Halloween night, after all,” Keating said. “It’s pretty creepy, but I hope it’s not too scary.”

Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issuance A minor geomagnetic storm on Saturday warned that conditions could range from “unstable” to “active”. Flaring of the coronal holes is expected to continue until Wednesday.

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