Updated October 29th 2025, 12:12 IST

Halloween is just around the corner and the sun is getting into the Halloween spirit once again. The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) from NASA captured our star, the Sun, in an unusually festive mood as its surface appearing to sport a glowing grin like a giant jack-o’-lantern.
The image taken on October 28, 2025, shows dark patches and bright regions on the sun that form something resembling to be a glowing eyes, a nose and a haunting smile.

The ‘smile’ on the sun isn’t just happenstance, it’s caused by a large coronal hole, a region where the sun’s magnetic field opens outward, allowing charged particles (solar wind) to stream into space.
In the image, what appears as the ‘mouth’ is this coronal hole, while the bright ‘eyes’ and ‘nose’ are active regions on the solar surface. Because the hole is currently facing Earth, it is sending a high-speed solar wind stream toward us, and space weather forecasters expect it could trigger minor (G1) to moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm conditions from October 28–29.
These geomagnetic storms are more than just pretty lights. When charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can cause enhanced auroras at higher latitudes, possibly visible further south than usual.
Potential impacts on satellites, communications and power systems (though this event is forecast as relatively mild).
A reminder of how the sun’s magnetic activity can affect life on Earth directly and indirectly.
The SDO has been monitoring the sun’s surface and corona since 2010, returning high-resolution images that help scientists understand how magnetic energy on the sun is released into space as solar wind, flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Interestingly, this is not SDO’s first “jack-o’-lantern” style observation of the sun. The observatory noted a similar spooky-face appearance in previous years, particularly around Halloween time.
Published October 29th 2025, 12:12 IST