The remarkable footage was captured by the US space agency’s Solar Dynamics Observatory between May 17 and 19.

The video shows a giant dark area on the star’s upper half, known as a coronal hole.

A NASA spokesman said: “Coronal holes are low-density regions of the sun’s atmosphere, known as the corona.

“Because they contain little solar material, they have lower temperatures and thus appear much darker than their surroundings.

“Coronal holes are visible in certain types of extreme ultraviolet light, which is typically invisible to our eyes, but is colorised here in purple for easy viewing.”

NASA says the huge hole is actually not of great concern, but it remains unclear why the coronal holes actually form.

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