“coronal holes,” are associated with the Sun’s north and south poles, where magnetic fields loop up but do not return to the photosphere. Hot gas from these regions streams into space as “solar winds” that extend to Earth and beyond, affecting both our planet and other solar system bodies in extraordinary ways. On Earth, solar winds are associated with geomagnetic “storms” or intense disturbances of our planet’s electric and magnetic fields. Solar winds also cause the auroras commonly known as the northern and southern lights.