Magnetic storm of the first level G1 on a five-point scale
will be played over the Earth on June 2, Russian astronomers forecast.
At the same time, another storm of G2 level is expected on May 17,
and the Earth’s magnetosphere will be perturbed on May 18, follows from
the chart of the X-ray solar astronomy laboratory of the Lebedev
Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FIAN).
The previous storm occurred on May 6 and 7, and the largest since
early 2018 – on April 20. Prior to this, only one storm at the maximum
reached this peak this year, which occurred on the night of March 18 to
March 19, Moscow time, but the duration of the maximum phase was then
only about 2.5 hours, note astronomers.
The passage of the Earth through the streams of solar wind of this
width is not an exceptional event and is often observed near the minimum
of solar activity. This is due to the fact that in the solar cycle
minimum the magnetic field of the Sun is significantly weakened, and it
partially loses its ability to retain the solar plasma near the surface
of the star.
As a result, the velocity and density of the streams of matter
escaping from the sun increase noticeably, which form the solar wind.
Several such long series of geomagnetic disturbances were observed last
year at the stage of transition to the solar minimum.
Astronomers note that magnetic storms, classified as a G2 level event
on a five-point scale, can lead to weak fluctuations in energy systems,
and also have little impact on spacecraft control systems. In this case
auroras can be observed at high latitudes from 60 degrees and above.
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