A previously unseen phenomenon has been recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) of NASA. It is a hellish version of a phenomenon on Earth that humanity has always feared: Polar Vortex.
The short clip just released by NASA has astonished the scientific community as it shows a “tentacle” of plasma reaching out from the Sun. According to Science Alert, this plasma mass broke apart and formed a crown-like vortex just above the North Pole of the star.
The speed of this vortex reaches thousands of miles per minute. Solar scientist Tamitha Skov from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) shared the footage from SDO – NASA’s spacecraft orbiting the Sun, noting that it is a type of large polar vortex.
Strange phenomenon recorded on the Sun – (Image: SDO/NASA).
According to Live Science, some researchers indicate that this plasma vortex operates similarly to the polar vortex on Earth, which is formed by a low-pressure system creating large cold air rings over the poles during winter.
On Earth, this phenomenon frequently causes disasters in winter; for instance, the United States experienced a “bomb cyclone” at the end of 2022 when cold air from the polar vortex was pushed southward, bringing dangerously low temperatures.
“Polar Vortex” on the Sun is, of course, a hotter counterpart. Solar physicist Scott McIntosh from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, told Space that he had never seen the Sun behave this way, though long plasma filaments frequently erupt near the 55-degree latitude lines of the star.
These “tentacles” of plasma become more common as the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle approaches its peak (expected in 2025). Over the past few months, our parent star has been particularly vigorous.
These plasma filaments pose no threat to Earth; however, they can sometimes trigger the release of plasma blobs in the form of massive fireballs, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). If Earth happens to be in the path of one of these fireballs, spectacular auroras may appear along with disruptions to navigation and telecommunications systems.
Fortunately, the phenomenon of “Solar Polar Vortex” recently captured by SDO – occurring around February 2 – did not release any additional CMEs.
