The key facts
- On the evening of November 7, a G1-level magnetic storm began (Kp 5+)
- Solar wind speed roughly doubled over two days, from about 300 to 700 km/s
- Auroras are possible in northwestern Russia if the sky is clear
The storm begins
On the evening of November 7, a magnetic storm with a geomagnetic index of Kp 5+, corresponding to level G1, began on Earth. This was reported by specialists from the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who added that, against the backdrop of a strengthening solar wind, the first auroras are expected in the northwestern regions of Russia.
What is happening at the Sun and at Earth
According to the scientists, the planet entered a stream of solar plasma the previous night, but the magnetosphere remained relatively calm for a long time. Over two days, the solar wind speed increased from roughly 300 to 700 kilometers per second, which triggered the onset of the geomagnetic storm. The auroral oval, within which auroras occur, began to expand rapidly: the first faint glows may already appear in the northwest of the country, but they will only be visible if the sky is clear enough.
The cause and possible development
Earlier, Life.ru reported on a giant coronal hole on the Sun stretching about a million kilometers. Scientists warned that its impact on Earth's magnetosphere could last five to seven days, until roughly the middle of next week. At the same time, specialists allowed for the possibility of repeated geomagnetic disturbances and changes to the initial forecasts.
