Polar Vortex Swallows 'Part of Sun': What Does It Mean?

A solar vortex swallowed a part of the Sun during an unprecedent event where a polar crown filament reportedly emerged around the sun's pole.

Scientists captured the space event which was compared to the weather and climate phenomenon on Earth called polar vortex.

The said incident earlier in February sparked concerns but experts say there is no significant risk from it.

The Sun is currently in its Solar Cycle 25 since its solar minimum in December 2019 and solar maximum by 2030.

Solar activities increase as the Sun moves further towards its end phase as part of a 11-year cycle.

While the solar polar vortex is considered by experts as normal and not harmful, the Sun experienced multiple solar storms over the past year, disruption radio frequencies and satellite signals.

Solar Polar Vortex

Solar Vortex — Photo by SDO/NASA via Getty Images

Parts of the Sun ranging from various sizes break off all the time since its outer atmosphere is like a burning cauldron, which heats up and cools down to be ejected out of its atmosphere, according to Scott Mcintosh, deputy director at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, during an interview by National Public Radio (NPR), an American non-profit media organization.

Mcintosh adds plasma can form a large loop on the surface of the Sun, resulting in a solar prominence, which are common.

However, the recent one was different since previous events occurred on the edge of the star and the latest event in question removed a relatively large part of the Sun.

Instruments from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) captured the event when a piece of the giant star got swept by a solar polar vortex.

It was Tamitha Skov, space weather physicist and research scientists at The Aerospace Corporation, who shared imagery of the phenomenon which went viral.

Also Read: Giant 'Alien Comet' from Different Solar System Approaches Our Sun [Scientists]

The Sun

The Sun is a hot ball of gas which formed at the center of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago, and it is located approximately 93 million miles (150 kilometers) from Earth.

Containing hydrogen and helium, the absence of solar energy would have make life on our planet cease to exist, according to NASA.

The size and nature of our solar system's only star influences solar activity, which sometimes emit powerful eruptions called solar storms that sends out charged particles in the form of geomagnetic storms, solar radiation, and radio blackouts.

NASA said the role of the Sun influences space weather across the system.

Since the advancement of astronomical and space technology in recent decades, NASA and other space agencies, including the European Space Agency (ESA) constantly monitor the Sun to determine its composition and behavior from its atmosphere to surface. Some of the spacecraft that explores the Sun include the following, as provided by the US space agency: