In the coming days, a “hole” in the Sun’s atmosphere could create a dazzling light show on Earth. A moderate aurora is observed at Earth’s higher latitudes on Friday, March 24, due to the coronal hole, an opening in the Sun’s magnetic field, according to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. When these holes open in the corona, the upper part of the Sun’s atmosphere, they allow an increased flow of charged particles known as the solar wind. According to Spaceweather.com, in similar cases, coronal vents have led to auroras as far south as New York and Idaho (opens in new tab).

The sun has been busy in recent months as it hits the expected peak of its 11-year cycle of activity in 2025. For example, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recently detected a giant “hurricane” orbiting the sun’s north pole.

For three days last week, boiling plasma rose above the Sun’s surface and peaked on March 18 at 14 Earth altitudes, or about 75,000 miles (120,000 kilometers). When the hurricane landed, the ejected material did not fly to our planet, but

Most solar activity is harmless, intensifying the aurora borealis and causing minor radio interruptions, but NASA, NOAA and other groups monitor the sun around the clock, just in case. Severe solar storms can sometimes short out satellites or affect power supplies, such as the 1989 Quebec, Canada power outage.

In recent years, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have also launched satellites approaching the Sun to study the corona and surface structures. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter are trying to better understand the structure of the Sun to improve space weather forecasts and continue to protect our planet, surrounding spacecraft and people.