MOSCOW, April 24 The magnetic storm that is happening now has become unprecedented in its strength, and scientists still cannot fully explain its origin, most likely it will continue and will cause auroras for the second night in a row, said the chief researcher of the Space Research Institute (IKI), Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Bogachev.
On April 23, a strong magnetic storm occurred in the Earth's atmosphere, causing auroras at night, which were visible at uncharacteristically low latitudes. Users posted on the network photographs of the aurora, taken in St. Petersburg, Tver, Moscow, Ryazan, and even Rostov-on-Don.
«The storm was at night, but in general there is a forecast that it is long, and maybe it will catch the second night period, that is, today's next night. Therefore, if someone did not have time to see the aurora, there is hope to try them search in the upcoming dark time of the day. There is a possibility that due to the duration, the auroras will still be visible,» Bogachev said.
At the same time, he specified that «special conditions» are needed to observe the auroras. They are best observed away from urban sky glare. For those who live in the village, the chief researcher of the IKI recommended that they go outside and turn off the lights in the house so that there is no side illumination from the windows. Watching the sky is in the region of the North Star.
According to Bogachev, the storm that began the day before is of a planetary nature, and at the moment of its greatest amplitude it reached the G4 level (that is, a very strong storm, almost the maximum possible). Storms of a higher level G5 have not occurred for about the past 20 years, the professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences specified.
He said that two days ago there was a flash on the Sun, and now plasma and particle flows have reached the Earth, causing a storm. However, according to scientists' forecasts, a relatively weak outbreak should have caused an even weaker storm on Earth.
One of the hypotheses is related to the fact that exactly a month ago (March 23-24) a very large magnetic storm was also recorded on Earth. It was caused by the so-called coronal hole. Such structures are tied to the Sun, so the hole could return to the same point in a month (approximate time of the Sun's rotation around its axis) and increase the flow of matter from a rather weak flash.
“The coronal hole creates a kind of magnetic channel towards the Earth, through which matter can propagate at high speeds from the sun. Therefore, they cause magnetic storms. It is possible that the hole itself did not create anything, but it formed some kind of magnetic channel, to which this substance from the flash accelerated to high speeds, respectively, dealt a greater blow to the Earth,» Bogachev explained.
In addition, he recalled that storms, like fluctuations in a magnetic field, affect electrical systems, primarily space systems. Satellites and other space objects can accumulate a charge, which then leads to their accelerated demolition from orbit.
The surface of the Earth is quite well protected by the atmosphere, but even here there can be interference in communications, especially in the short-wave, the scientist said. According to him, storms do not directly affect the equipment, but if the electrical network to which the devices are connected, for some reason, did not smooth out voltage surges from magnetic events, then the equipment «theoretically can receive additional voltage surges.»
Bogachev said that, due to the specifics of his work, he often receives messages from people who physically feel both solar flares and magnetic storms on Earth. He advised such weather-sensitive people to take care of themselves and take precautions during strong magnetic events.