[Regnum] The magnetic storm that will hit Earth on the night of March 14 will reach average strength—the highest since early spring. Sergei Bogachev, head of the Solar Astronomy Laboratory at the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, predicted this in a conversation with Regnum News Agency on March 13.
Earth has entered a period of heightened geomagnetic activity caused by a coronal hole on the Sun. According to astrophysicists, a moderate magnetic storm (G2 on a five-point scale) will hit the planet on the night of Saturday, March 14—the strongest since the beginning of the month.
"We're expecting a level of two out of five—that's the average level. This is typical for a coronal hole, so it's unlikely to be exceeded. But for current solar activity, this is generally a high level. If it is reached, it will be the strongest storm of the month," Bogachev noted.
According to the scientist, the period of disturbances in extraterrestrial space will last at least until the end of the week.
"The period of the disturbance is determined by the width of the coronal hole. It's not very large, so the overall period is estimated at two to three days, but this doesn't mean two to three days of continuous storms. During this period, the magnetic field may be disturbed in an impulsive manner. On average, the green (quiet) background will dominate, but there will be occasional storms and disturbances," the expert added.
The specialist emphasized that G2 magnetic storms may affect power grids, but not to the extent that would warrant special precautions. Equipment connected to the grid is not affected by the fluctuations.
"Regarding spacecraft movements, noticeable changes begin at the G3 level. Current events don't appear threatening from this perspective, but they may escalate more than we expect, and there will be some consequences," Bogachev concluded.
Astrophysicist and Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Sergey Yazev warned about geomagnetic disturbances on March 13-14 in an interview with Regnum News Agency. He emphasized that coronal holes never cause strong magnetic storms.
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A strong solar flare was recorded on the Sun for the first time in three weeks.
A powerful solar flare occurred on the Sun for the first time in three weeks and lasted about 20 minutes. This was reported on March 13 by the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The event was assigned an M1.2 rating, where M denotes a moderate-power flare, as opposed to C (weak) and X (extreme). Maximum emission was reached at 12:55 Moscow time.
"The event occurred amid a deep dip in activity that has been ongoing for almost a month and is of interest primarily for this reason. The last flare of this class was recorded on February 25 (the magnitude was M2.3)," the experts noted.
If not for the current deep solar depression, an event at the lower boundary of the M-class would be considered quite ordinary. The center of the flare is located at the edge of the solar disk, ruling out any impact on Earth. The explosion was likely isolated and relatively random. It is unlikely to trigger the star's exit from its current local minimum, they added.
Scientists also reported that the first plasma streams associated with the coronal hole have reached Earth. Weak disturbances are observed, indicating a likely increase to magnetic storm levels by the end of the day.
Scientists previously released footage of a giant solar prominence being ejected. They estimated the plasma structure to be approximately 1 million km in size, three times the distance from Earth to the Moon.
Astrophysicist and Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Sergey Yazev told Regnum News Agency that a weak magnetic storm is possible on Earth on March 13–14. He explained that the forecast is based on a relatively small coronal hole on the Sun, and that powerful flares are not yet expected.