[Regnum] Magnetic storms of varying severity are possible on Earth in the coming days due to the impact of a large coronal hole on our planet. This was reported on Monday, December 22, by the press service of the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
According to scientists, signs of solar wind flow impacting Earth from a coronal hole formed on the Sun were detected approximately a day earlier than expected. Moreover, the fast solar wind, including that affecting our planet, originates primarily from the equatorial regions of coronal holes.
The laboratory clarified that the hole, which is located in the center of the solar disk, covering the southern and part of the northern hemisphere of the Sun, has a particularly complex shape.
"For this reason, the geomagnetic forecast for the coming days is quite unstable: both moderate disturbances are possible if plasma streams from the central part of the hole, where large ruptures are observed, reach the planet, and prolonged storms of around G2 level are possible if a plasma stream from the above-located region of 'solid blackness' descends into the plane of the planet," the laboratory's Telegram channel states.
On the morning of December 12, two solar flares of the penultimate M-class occurred. The first was recorded at 08:05 Moscow time and lasted 24 minutes, the second occurred at 08:44 Moscow time and lasted 26 minutes.