A significant coronal hole has been identified on the Sun, potentially leading to an increase in solar wind speed and minor geomagnetic storms. According to Sergei Bogachev, head of the Solar Astronomy Laboratory at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute, the solar wind speed is expected to rise from approximately 400 to 600 kilometers per second.
This phenomenon may negatively impact the Earth's magnetosphere, although strong geomagnetic storms are not anticipated. Coronal holes are regions in the solar corona characterized by lower plasma density and temperature, detectable through X-ray satellite imagery.
Earlier reports noted that the Parker Solar Probe, a spacecraft designed to study the outer corona of the Sun, will pass through the upper layer of the solar atmosphere at a maximum speed of 686,722 kilometers per hour (190.7 kilometers per second) by the end of 2024.