New Study Reveals How Solar Coronal Holes Spray Solar Wind Like A Sun Garden Hose (2025)

Scientists from Skolkovo Institute of Science andTechnology, together with scientists from the University ofGraz, Kanzelhöhe Observatory, and Columbia University, havediscovered how coronal holes — vast magnetic windows inthe Sun’s corona — launch fast solar wind streams intospace at supersonic speeds, shaping their flow throughoutthe heliosphere. These findings set the stage for theupcoming Vigil mission to Lagrange point L5 — a dedicatedsolar sentinel that will monitor our dynamic Sun,transforming deep-space observations into unprecedentedearly warnings of solar storms to protect criticalinfrastructure on Earth and in orbit. The study’s findingsare published inScientificReports, Nature.

The Sun doesn’t just shine —itblows. A relentless stream of charged particles,known as the solar wind, surges outward at hundreds ofkilometers per second, drenching Earth and the entire solarsystem in a flood of electrons, protons, and helium nuclei.But this isn’t a smooth breeze — it’s a turbulentriver with fast and slow currents that spark dazzlingauroras and disruptive geomagnetic storms. The fasteststreams come fromcoronal holes —dark, cooler patches in the Sun’s outeratmosphere where magnetic fields stretch open and high-speedsolar wind streams can escape from the Sun intointerplanetary space. Yet how exactly these holes shape thesolar wind’s behavior remains an open question. Whenhigh-speed solar wind streams collide with slower solarwind, they create massive structures called corotatinginteraction regions that spiral outward as the Sun rotates.Since the Sun rotates every 27 days, a single coronal holecan bombard us repeatedly — a celestial metronome of spaceweather.

A pioneering study led bysolar physicists has revealed how coronal holes propel fastsolar wind streams of charged particles that race across oursolar system. The research also delivers a major advance inspace weather forecasting,extending prediction leadtimes from hours to days. Using a unique observationalvantage point at the L5 Lagrange point (60° behind Earth inorbit), scientists can now better predict when these solarwinds will reach Earth. The team solved a key puzzle — whysolar wind measurements differ between L5 and Earth-orbitingL1 observatories. They traced the variations to threecritical factors — the combined effect of smaller coronalholes, their precise locations on the Sun’s surface, andthe latitudinal position of spacecraft detecting the solarwind. These findings underscore the importance of futuremissions to L5 and L4 Lagrange points, like ESA’s Vigil,to improve early warnings for geomagnetic storms — helpingprotect satellites, aviation, and power grids fromdisruptive space weather.

“Imagine watering yourgarden with a hose,” explains lead author AssociateProfessor Tatiana Podladchikova, who heads the EngineeringCenter at Skoltech. “If you stand directly in front of thestream, you get hit hard. But if you’re off to the side,you only catch splashes. This ‘garden hose effect’explains why satellites directly aligned with a solar windstream measure higher speeds than those at an angle. Ourstudy shows this effect is most pronounced for smallercoronal holes at higher solar latitudes, and dependsstrongly on the latitudinal separation between spacecraft.In contrast, larger coronal holes deliver solar wind moreuniformly across the heliosphere.”

These findingswill not only improve space weather forecasting and advancethe fundamental understanding of the solar-terrestrialenvironment but also underscore the importance of continuedexploration from diverse vantage points like L5 and L4 tofully unravel the Sun’s influence on the Solar System,enriching the broader field of heliophysics and spaceexploration.

Skoltech is a private internationaluniversity in Russia, cultivating a new generation ofleaders in technology, science, and business. As a factoryof technologies, it conducts research in breakthrough fieldsand promotes technological innovation to solve criticalproblems that face Russia and the world. Skoltech focuses onsix priority areas: life sciences, health, and agro;telecommunications, photonics, and quantum technologies;artificial intelligence; advanced materials and engineering;energy efficiency and the energy transition;andadvanced studies. Established in2011 incollaboration with theMassachusetts InstituteofTechnology(MIT), Skoltech was listed amongtheworld’s top 100 young universities by the NatureIndex inits both editions(2019, 2021).OnResearch.com, the Institute ranks as Russianuniversity No.2 overall and No.1 for geneticsand materials science. Intherecent SCImagoInstitutions Rankings, Skoltech placedfirst nationwidefor computer science. Website: https://www.skoltech.ru/

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