MOSCOW, 25 MarchThe geomagnetic situation will finally calm down on March 28-29, if there are no new flares on the Sun-Earth line, the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS) reported.
On Sunday, solar plasma, ejected after a major flare on the morning of March 23, reached the Earth, and a powerful magnetic storm was observed.
“The final calming of the geomagnetic situation can be expected in the second half of the week, March 28–29, if no new events occur in the geoeffective zone on the Sun,” the message says.
The first strong solar flare this month (highest class X) was recorded on March 23 at approximately 5.00 Moscow time. It was accompanied by a large release of plasma. Since the flare and ejection occurred on the Sun-Earth line, the impact on the Earth's magnetosphere was large. A strong geomagnetic storm — disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field — began on the evening of March 24. Around 17.00 Moscow time, the speed of the solar wind in the vicinity of the Earth almost doubled, to approximately 800 kilometers per second. At the moment of impact, the geomagnetic activity index Kp reached a value of 8 points out of 9 possible, which corresponds to a storm of level G4 (the highest level of G5 was last observed in September 2005).
Earlier, scientists reported that the increasing frequency of flares and the increase in their power indicates the Sun is gradually approaching the peak of activity, which presumably could occur as early as mid-2024, although, according to some forecasts, it could be shifted to 2025.
Solar flares can cause magnetic storms on Earth, which in turn cause disruptions in the operation of energy systems, and also affect the migration routes of birds and animals. However, if the flare occurs at a considerable distance from the Sun-Earth line, it does not affect the planet.
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