Magnetic storm will affect the Earth on February 13

MOSCOW, 12 FebThe magnetic storm will affect the Earth on February 13 and will last two days, there is a possibility of northern lights, said Sergei Bogachev, head of the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Institute of Space Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
«On the tenth and 11th of February, large masses of matter were ejected from the Sun, which will reach the Earth on the night of Monday to Tuesday. According to preliminary forecasts, a prolonged deterioration in the geomagnetic situation is expected lasting about two days, which will affect February 13 and 14,» — he said.

According to calculations, the storm will peak in the middle of Tuesday. At the same time, scientists predict that geomagnetic disturbances should not exceed the G2 level.

The power of magnetic storms is assessed on a five-point scale. Storms of level G1 are considered the weakest; they have almost no effect on the operation of electrical appliances. Level G3 is a severe storm that directly impacts power grids and causes disruption to satellite navigation and radio communications. The maximum level is G5, large-scale problems with the power grid and serious malfunctions in the operation of satellites and radio communications are possible.

According to Bogachev, modern observation tools do not allow observing masses moving from the Sun until the moment when they appear in the immediate vicinity proximity to the Earth, so “surprises” in the form of the northern lights are not excluded.

«For those who do not want to miss even a small chance to see this phenomenon, I recommend monitoring the magnetic storm monitor. If the peak <…> will occur in the time interval from 21 to 1 am, the probability of auroral events will be very high,” the head of the laboratory specified.

Currently, the possibility of the northern lights occurring is about 30 and 20 percent for the two upcoming nights accordingly, he added.
During strong magnetic storms, people may feel headaches, weakness, pressure surges, and experience insomnia. Scientists attribute this to the fact that when the magnetic field fluctuates, capillary blood flow slows down and tissue oxygen starvation occurs.