According to the Space Weather service, on the night of June 25-26, around 2:00 a.m. Polish time, an unexpected G1 class geomagnetic storm broke out. It resulted in auroras that could be observed in some places on Earth.
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Geomagnetic storms (also known as solar or magnetic storms) are sudden and intense changes in the magnetosphere, the planet’s magnetic field. They are caused by increased solar activity, especially coronal mass ejections and numerous solar flares. They lead to changes in the physical parameters of the solar wind. Storm strength is determined on a five-point scale, with G1 being the weakest and G5 the strongest. The last storm reported by the service Space Weather, which monitors space weather, was a G1-class storm. Astronomers did not expect it to appear.
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Class G1 geomagnetic storm
The frequency of geomagnetic storms will increase at the end of each 11-year solar cycle in the so-called solar maximum, when the solar magnetic field is at its strongest. During this time, you can also observe other phenomena caused by increased activity of the Sun, such as solar tornadoes, which we informed about here. We are currently approaching the most active phase of the current solar cycle. It began in 2019 and will peak in 2025. In the following years, the activity of the Sun will decrease until the beginning of the next 11-year solar cycle.
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Stock market G1 and G2 classes do not pose a major threat to the Earth. Their appearance may cause slight disturbances in the operation of satellites, energy networks, the behavior of migrating animals or an increase in the frequency of auroras at high latitudes. G4 and G5 class storms are much more dangerous. In their case, it is even possible to permanently damage the navigation systems and the appearance of power outages. Fortunately, they are very rare.
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Karolina Modzelewska, journalist of Wirtualna Polska
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