Massive filament swirls into a ‘polar vortex’ on the Sun, wowing scientists

By Scott Sutherland

This is apparently the first time such a phenomenon has been seen on the Sun.

New images from NASA have revealed an immense band of plasma apparently swirling around the Sun’s north pole. This ‘solar polar vortex’ is something new for solar scientists,

Here on Earth, the polar vortex is a not some rare phenomenon. It has been around since the planet’s atmosphere first formed, and it was first described by scientists in the mid-1800s. Over the past decade, ever since the winter of 2013-2014, it has become something of a ‘buzz word’ in the media and weather forecasts.