Piece of sun breaks off, creates tornado-like swirl, leaving scientists baffled. Watch

The phenomenon on the sun was caught by NASA on the James Webb Space Telescope. (Image credit: NASA)

In a stunning and rare display, a piece of the sun has broken off and created a tornado-like swirl around its northern pole. The phenomenon was caught by NASA on the James Webb Space Telescope.

Dr. Tamitha Skov, a space weather forecaster, shared the phenomenon on Twitter.

“Talk about Polar Vortex! Material from a northern prominence just broke away from the main filament & is now circulating in a massive polar vortex around the north pole of our Star. Implications for understanding the Sun's atmospheric dynamics above 55° here cannot be overstated!” she wrote.

Watch the video here:

Talk about Polar Vortex! Material from a northern prominence just broke away from the main filament & is now circulating in a massive polar vortex around the north pole of our Star. Implications for understanding the Sun's atmospheric dynamics above 55 here cannot be overstated! pic.twitter.com/1SKhunaXvP

— Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) February 2, 2023

The prominence always extends outwards from the sun and is a bright feature. Filament tears like this have been seen before but not quite like this one.

The impact of this event on our technology and communications systems is still unclear, but experts are closely monitoring the situation. Coronal Mass Ejections have been known to cause widespread blackouts, communication disruptions, and even damage to satellites in orbit.

While experts believe the phenomenon has something to do with the sun’s magnetic field, it is unclear what exactly caused it and its repercussions.

The sun will be reaching its peak of activity during the current 11-year cycle in 2025.