Quick summary: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a large, butterfly-shaped coronal hole nearly 300,000 miles across that first appeared in September and has now gone viral. Coronal holes are common magnetic openings that let fast solar particles stream into space; when Earth-facing, they can enhance auroras in northern regions. Scientists say the Sun is behaving normally — this one is notable for its shape, not for anomalous activity. Recent solar flares have produced auroras as far south as Florida.
NASA’s Butterfly-Shaped Coronal Hole Goes Viral — What It Means for Earth
Quick summary: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a large, butterfly-shaped coronal hole nearly 300,000 miles across that first appeared in September and has now gone viral. Coronal holes are common magnetic openings that let fast solar particles stream into space; when Earth-facing, they can enhance auroras in northern regions. Scientists say the Sun is behaving normally — this one is notable for its shape, not for anomalous activity. Recent solar flares have produced auroras as far south as Florida.
03:01 AM, 11/14/2025Science
NASA images show a butterfly-shaped coronal hole
Images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) showing a striking, butterfly-shaped coronal hole on the Sun have been circulating widely on social media this week. The feature spans nearly 300,000 miles across — more than thirty times the width of Earth — and caught attention because its wide, uneven edges resemble wings in the SDO pictures.
What a coronal hole is: Coronal holes are common, long-lived regions where the Sun’s magnetic field opens into space, allowing fast streams of solar particles (solar wind) to escape. When such a hole rotates to face Earth, the resulting high-speed particle stream can interact with Earth's magnetosphere and spark enhanced geomagnetic activity and brighter auroras in northern latitudes.
Who saw auroras: When the September iteration of this hole faced Earth, observers in Alaska and much of northern Canada were well positioned to see stronger displays. The farther south you go the slimmer the odds, although places like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and parts of northern New England have occasionally seen surprising displays during similar events.
The unusual shape made the images go viral, prompting a mix of reactions online — from jokes to genuine concern about effects on satellites and Earth. Typical social responses ranged from quips such as
“Stranger Things promotion is getting out of hand — they opened the Upside Down there.”to more anxious comments like
“Why doesn’t this sound apocalyptic enough?”
Reality check: Scientists emphasize that the Sun itself is behaving normally. Coronal holes form, rotate across the solar surface, and eventually fade as new holes appear. The attention this one received is largely due to its distinctive, eye-catching shape, not because it represents an unusual physical threat.
For clarity, a few common misconceptions popped up online: jokes claiming the event happened "10 million light years ago" are mistaken — the Sun is about eight light-minutes away, so the light and images we see left the Sun roughly eight minutes prior. Also, while coronal holes can increase space weather effects, most events produce only enhanced auroras and minor impacts on satellites and power systems when particularly strong.
Context: The renewed interest comes amid a period of elevated solar activity; recent solar flares this week helped produce auroras seen as far south as Florida. NASA’s SDO continues to monitor the Sun, capturing images that both inform scientists and occasionally inspire viral moments online.
Source: AccuWeather. Original report published on GeekSpin.