Captured by Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory, the region occurs where a magnetic field fails to loop back down to the sun's surface and instead sends out coronal material. The high-speed solar wind originating from this coronal hole created a geomagnetic storm near Earth that resulted in several nights of auroras. The material that constantly flows from the sun is called the solar wind, which typically 'blows' at around 250 miles (400 km) per second. When a coronal hole is present, however, the wind speed can double to nearly 500 miles (800 km) per second.
The technology giant has been granted a patent for an iRing that will be able to take photographs, text and tell the time.
She is the creation of Teruyuki and Yuki Ishikawa are a husband-and-wife team of freelance 3D computer graphics artists from Tokyo.
Woolly mammoths WERE wiped out by hunters: Tusks suggest that calves were forced to wean earlier because of human predators
Researchers from University of Michigan found chemical clues about weaning age - when a calf stops nursing - embedded in the tusks (pictured inset) of juvenile Siberian woolly mammoths (an adult is illustrated main). This evidence suggests they were forced to mature earlier over some 30,000 years, matching signs of hunting pressure, rather than climate change.
Pluto is an active world of 'spectacular' colour: Nasa reveals first scientific results from New Horizons' historic flyby of dwarf planet
- Is SpaceX about to reveal its mission to MARS? Cryptic tweet suggests company is to announce the most 'exciting thing ever'
- Could a smartwatch help astronauts aboard the ISS? Nasa challenges designers to create apps that would improve life for crew members in space
Pluto is a world of 'spectacular' colours, dramatic surface features and dynamic geology, the first published results from the historic fly-by of the dwarf planet have shown. The surface of Pluto is marked by plains, troughs and peaks that appear to have been carved out by geological processes that have been active for a very long period. The study has also found that its moons Nix (inset left) and Hydra (inset right), both have reflective surfaces, suggesting relatively clean water ice.
- Do YOU notice anything unusual about Saya, the Japanese girl taking the internet by storm?
- Where will the next catastrophic natural disaster take place? Scientists identify ‘climate tipping points’ that could predict abrupt changes
- A decapitated women, sacrificial dogs and a wooden 'sex toy': Danish Iron Age remains reveal macabre practices
- Now alien hunters think they've seen 'Buddha' on Mars: Latest ridiculous claim is being used to prove existence of ET
- The sun's sprung a leak! Enormous coronal hole that is 50-EARTHS-wide spotted on star (but don't worry, it's harmless)
- Judge rules Uber IS legal in London court battle between the app and traditional cab drivers
- Biology in ACTION: Impalas locking horns wins photography award, beating a 'scared' ant and mating toads on a lotus leaf
- Could a simple eye test diagnose autism? Pupils of children with the condition 'take markedly longer to narrow after penlight test'
- Is Alzheimer's caused by FUNGUS? Traces found in the brains of sufferers suggest the disease 'could caused by an infectious microbe'
- Don't blame the internet for your lack of sleep: Researchers say hunter gatherers with no access to technology only sleep for 6.5 hours a night
- Woolly mammoths WERE wiped out by hunters: Tusks suggest that calves were forced to wean earlier because of human predators
- Could prosthetic limbs soon come with a sense of TOUCH? Smart skin could detect heat, pressure and moisture
- The $50 hypercam that could give your phone 'X-ray vision' to see inside objects - and could even tell you if fruit is ripe
- Mystery of the moon's Mafic Mound: Researchers say 'unique' 800m tall and 75km wide lump may have been caused by massive impact and volcanic eruptions
- Welcome to Fakebook: More than 75% of people admit to making their lives seem more exciting on social media
- Did our ancestors have ears like DOGS? Defunct muscles on the sides of our head suggest they once moved in response to sound
- New Jersey professor discovers first draft of King James Bible in a 400-year-old notebook languishing in a college archive
- Have researchers discovered an alien MEGASTRUCTURE? 'Bizarre' star could be surrounded by a Dyson sphere built by extraterrestrials, researchers claim
- A decapitated women, sacrificial dogs and a wooden 'sex toy': Danish Iron Age remains reveal macabre practices
- Facebook bug reveals how popular you REALLY are: View counts are appearing below posts on the mobile site
- 'This winter will not be normal': Forecasters say El Niño is set to outgrow 1997 event as they warn phenomenon is now too big to fail
- Now alien hunters think they've seen 'Buddha' on Mars: Latest ridiculous claim is being used to prove existence of ET
- Will YOUR city survive the next century? Interactive map reveals 414 'doomed' cities that will be obliterated by rising sea levels
- Welcome to Fakebook: More than 75% of people admit to making their lives seem more exciting on social media
- Do YOU notice anything unusual about Saya, the Japanese girl taking the internet by storm?
- Pluto is an active world of 'spectacular' colour: Nasa reveals first scientific results from New Horizons' historic flyby of dwarf planet
- Where will the next catastrophic natural disaster take place? Scientists identify ‘climate tipping points’ that could predict abrupt changes
- Got a tattoo? Then you're probably AGGRESSIVE: People with inkings are more likely to be rebellious and angry, study claims
- The grim reality of life in ancient Egypt: Scarred skeletons reveal workers were brutally lashed with SPEARS if they were found stealing or slacking off at work
- Could your views on God and immigration be changed by using MAGNETS? Brain stimulation can alter beliefs, study claims
- Has the Biblical city of Sodom been found? 'Monstrous' site in Jordan matches the descriptions of the area destroyed by God in the Old Testament
- Could these bubbles be a climate bomb? Mysterious plumes may be releasing toxic methane near Washington, claims study
- The gadget killer: USB drive can instantly fry everything from your TV to your computer by sending 220 volts through them
- Size DOESN'T matter! Having a big brain does not make you more intelligent - it's the structure that counts
- MOST READ IN DETAIL
GADGET REVIEWS
THIS WEEK'S TOP SCIENCE VIDEOS
-
SKIN DAMAGE FROM UV LIGHT CAN OCCUR...
A team of Yale-led researchers have discovered that skin damage from UV light...play video
-
WHITE BLOOD CELL SEEN DYING FOR FIRST...
White blood cell dying and sending out long beaded strings of material that are...play video
-
OCULUS RIFT TEASES GAMES AVAILABLE TO...
Check out a few of the great VR games that you'll be able to play on the Rift at...play video
-
NEW 'STAR WARS' GAMES REVEALED AT E3:...
The ominous thud of an AT-AT stomping down. Rebel forces firing blasters....play video
-
FIAT REVEALS 650MPH SUPERCAR POWERED BY...
Fiat have teamed up with video game designers to create SRT Tomahawk Vision Gran...play video
-
YOUTUBERS BUILD 'DEATH RAY' IN ATTEMPT...
Kevin Moore and Grant Reynolds attempt to create a focused beam of light hot...play video
-
WATCH THE WORLD'S 'SWARMING' FLIGHT...
Watch the world's 'swarming' flight paths in action: Beautiful multicoloured...play video
-
SCIENTISTS REVEAL NEW INSIGHT INTO...
A team of scientists and art conservators from Northwestern University and the...play video
-
NEO: THE 'SMART JAR' THAT HELPS YOU EAT...
Neo, the world's first 'smart jar' is built with Bluetooth connectivity and...play video
-
HERE'S NEPTUNE DUO: A ANDROID SMARTPHONE...
The Neptune Hub is a standalone smartwatch with 64 GB of onboard storage, LTE...play video
-
SKIN DAMAGE FROM UV LIGHT CAN OCCUR...
A team of Yale-led researchers have discovered that skin damage from UV light...play video
-
WHITE BLOOD CELL SEEN DYING FOR FIRST...
White blood cell dying and sending out long beaded strings of material that are...play video
Frozen world of Enceladus revealed: Cassini captures the fractured and pockmarked surface of Saturn's moon in unprecedented detail
The images were captured by Nasa's Cassini spacecraft during its 14 October flyby of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. Cassini passed 1,142 miles (1,839km) above the surface, which Nasa had expected to be heavily cratered. The new high-resolution images instead show a landscape of stark contrasts including thin cracks (pictured) across the craters. Mission controllers in California said the spacecraft will continue transmitting images and other data over the weekend.
A decapitated women, sacrificial dogs and a wooden 'sex toy': Danish Iron Age remains reveal mysterious macabre practices
Archaeologists discovered the young woman's remains (pictured left) at Skødstrup near the city of Aarhus in Denmark, where they believe she was sacrificed around 2,000 years ago. Her bones were found in a heap, indicating she had been thrown into the bog along with two stakes, one with a sharp point. They found her skeleton near the remains of dogs (pictured bottom right) that were also sacrificed and thrown into bogs as an offering to the gods. The site once housed an Iron Age village (pictured top right).
Will YOUR city survive the next century? Interactive map reveals 414 'doomed' American areas that will be obliterated by rising sea levels
Researchers have revealed over 400 US cities set to be obliterated by rising sea levels - and have created an interactive map to reveal the full extent of the crisis. The map looks at various different post-2100 sea levels that could change in this century. Florida is the state set to fare the worst from rising sea levels. The next three most affected states are California, Louisiana and New York.
'This winter will not be normal': Forecasters say El Niño is set to outgrow 1997 event as they warn phenomenon is now too big to fail
- Hurricanes 'unlike anything you've seen in history': Scientists warn grey swan megastorms could ravage areas ranging from Florida to Dubai
- Lightning is so powerful it changes the atomic structure of rocks: Bolts pack a punch similar to a NUCLEAR BOMB or meteor impact
- Does Earth have SEVERAL moons? Space rocks that hop in and out of orbit could provide easy targets for asteroid exploration
Forecasters from the NOAA and Nasa say the south of North America, particularly southern California, is likely to see cooler and wetter than normal winter, while the northern tier could be warmer and drier. 'Whether El Niño gets slightly stronger or a little weaker is not statistically significant now - This baby is too big to fail,' said Bill Patzert, a climatologist at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Tesla's Model S autopilot can steer, park and change lanes by ITSELF - and Elon Musk said it will be 'better than a person'
Over the next week, 60,000 people who own Tesla's latest Model S car (pictured inset right) will be given the option to download the software wirelessly in North America, Europe and Asia. Tesla boss Mr Musk said the system is unique because it will constantly collect data from drivers and improve itself. Taking control of the wheel disables autopilot but drivers need to rest their hands near it at all times because if they don't (pictured main) the autopilot system will chime to remind them. The dashboard view of the update, called Tesla Version 7.0 with Autopilot, is pictured inset left.
Dawn of the GHOST BOATS: Remote-controlled drones that can reach a top speed of 44mph could help the Royal Navy carry out covert operations
The technology (illustrated main), will be used by the Royal Navy and is designed to be fitted to Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs). It will have a complex array of sensors, including a navigation radar. The boat (pictured in action top and bottom right), which is capable of operating on its own for up to 12 hours on either a pre-planned route or via remote control, can reach impressive speeds of up to 44mph (38 knots).
Now alien hunters think they've seen 'Buddha' on Mars: Latest ridiculous claim is being used to prove existence of ET
UFO Sightings Daily is using the 'discovery' to suggest that intelligent life once existed on the planet, and may have even had a religion. It claims that Nasa is hiding it knowledge of their existence. The same site recently showcased a ghostly woman, a military bunker and Obama's head on Mars. While Nasa rarely comments on these claims, in August of its scientists has provided an explanation for why so many people see strange objects on the red planet. Ashwin Vasavada, who works on the Mars rover project, says scientists are not trying to hide evidence of alien life from the general public.
Panoramas of the MOON: Photographer stitches Apollo mission snaps together to reveal the vast emptiness of the lunar surface
Maciej Winiarczyk, who lives in Wick, Caithness, used scenes from the US space agency's archive and Photoshop to edit them and join them together. Stitched images made from Apollo 17 photographs are shown top and bottom left, while the one on the bottom right is a patchwork of Apollo 11 pictures. Two weeks ago 10,000 photographs taken by the astronauts on the lunar missions in the 1960s and 70s were uploaded to Flickr by Apollo archivist Kipp Teague.
The grim reality of life in ancient Egypt: Scarred skeletons reveal workers were brutally lashed with SPEARS if they were found stealing or slacking off at work
Archaeologists have discovered injuries they believe are consistent with the Ancient Egyptian punishment of '100 lashes and five wounds' on five skeletons unearthed in Amarna, Egypt. An image of one the skeletons is shown (main picture). The injuries were inflicted with a spear and left 'slot-type fracture lesions' in the shoulder blade (inset top right). It is not known whether the men were thieves or received the punishment for a civil offence, such as not working fast enough. An ancient illustration showing a man being beaten is pictured top left.
VIDEO GAME REVIEWS
All around the world... and beyond
British photographers Fiona Rogers and Anup Shah captured apes in Indonesia and Borneo - and highlighted how human our evolutionary cousins are.