[Regnum] The strongest magnetic storm in the last two months will occur on Earth on August 8. This was reported by the solar astronomy laboratory of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Scientists recalled that on August 5, a major M4.4 flare occurred on the Sun. As a result, plasma was ejected. Calculations showed that the impact of the ejection was stronger than scientists had previously expected. At first, they believed that the peripheral rarefied areas of the ejected solar matter would [not] reach the Earth, since the plasma cloud after the explosion was not ejected directly to our planet, but to the side - at an angle of about 45 degrees.
"After the latest recalculation, however, the models showed that the planet would be hit by the high-speed core of the cloud, and the impact on the magnetic field could be much stronger," the lab said.
The plasma is expected to arrive at Earth around 7 a.m. Moscow time. The geomagnetic index Kp at the moment of impact will reach 6 — the highest value since June 13.
Although events of this magnitude are considered moderate on the space weather scale, they can impact high-latitude power systems, cause spacecraft orbital drifts to differ from predicted ones, and affect radio propagation.
Scientists said that usually during such magnetic storms, the aurora borealis is visible up to a latitude of 60 degrees, but sometimes it descends to a latitude of 50 degrees.
The laboratory also warned that the geomagnetic situation should be expected to worsen at night. This is due to the fact that the Earth will enter the zone of action of another large coronal hole several hours before the arrival of the plasma cloud. The geomagnetic background will worsen for almost a week.
According to scientists, the situation on the Sun is currently considered extremely difficult. On August 6, 18 flares occurred in 24 hours, and almost all of them were observed near the Sun-Earth line.
