On September 6, two powerful flares occurred on the Sun, and the second of them turned out to be the most powerful in 12 years, since 2005. This event caused disruptions to radio communications and GPS signal reception on the dayside of the Earth, which lasted about an hour.

However, the main problems are still ahead

Solar flares are catastrophic phenomena on the surface of the Sun caused by reconnection (reconnection) of magnetic field lines “frozen” into the solar plasma. At some point, the extremely twisted magnetic field lines break and reconnect in a new configuration, releasing a colossal amount of energy,

producing additional heating of the nearest sections of the solar atmosphere and acceleration of charged particles to near-light speeds.

Solar plasma is a gas of electrically charged particles and, therefore, has its own magnetic field, and the solar magnetic fields and the magnetic fields of the plasma are consistent with each other. When plasma is expelled from the Sun, the ends of its magnetic lines remain “tied” to the surface. As a result, the magnetic lines are greatly stretched until they finally break from tension (like an elastic band that has been stretched too much) and reconnect, forming a new configuration containing less energy - in fact, this process is called line reconnection magnetic field.

Depending on the intensity of solar flares, they are classified, and in this case we are talking about the most powerful flares - the X-class.

The energy released during such flares is equivalent to the explosions of billions of megaton hydrogen bombs.

An event classified as X2.2 occurred at 11:57, and an even more powerful one, X9.3, occurred just three hours later at 14:53 (see website Laboratory of X-ray Solar Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute)

The most powerful solar flare recorded in the modern era occurred on November 4, 2003, and was classified as X28 (its consequences were not so catastrophic because the ejection was not directed directly at Earth).

Extreme solar flares can also be accompanied by powerful ejections of matter from solar corona, so-called coronal mass ejections. This is a slightly different phenomenon; for the Earth it can pose both greater and lesser danger, depending on whether the emission is directed directly at our planet. In any case, the consequences of these emissions are felt after 1-3 days. It's about about billions of tons of matter flying at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second.

When the emission reaches the vicinity of our planet, charged particles begin to interact with its magnetosphere, causing worsening “space weather”. Particles falling along magnetic lines cause auroras in temperate latitudes, magnetic storms lead to disruption of satellites and telecommunications equipment on Earth, worsening conditions for the propagation of radio waves, and weather-dependent people suffer from headaches.

Observers, especially in high-latitude regions, are advised to keep an eye on the skies in the coming days for particularly majestic auroral events.

In addition, the Sun itself can still give out a new focus and erupt in new flares. The same group of sunspots that caused Wednesday's flares - which scientists refer to as active region 2673 - on Tuesday produced a moderate M-class flare that can also generate auroras.

However, current events are far from the so-called Carrington event - the most powerful geomagnetic storm in the entire history of observations, which broke out in 1859. From August 28 to September 2, numerous spots and flares were observed on the Sun. British astronomer Richard Carrington observed the most powerful of them on September 1, which probably caused a large coronal mass ejection that reached the Earth in a record time of 18 hours. Unfortunately, there were no modern devices at that time, but the consequences were clear to everyone even without it -

from intense auroras near the equator to sparkling telegraph wires.

What is surprising is that current events are taking place against the background of a decrease in solar activity, when the natural 11-year cycle is completed, when the number of sunspots decreases. However, many scientists remind us that it is precisely during the period of decreased activity that the most powerful outbreaks often occur, breaking out as if at the end.

“The current events were accompanied by intense radio emission, which indicates possible coronal mass ejections,” he said in an interview Scientific American Rob Steenberg of the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). “However, we need to wait until we get additional coronagraph images that capture this event.” Then it will be possible to give a final answer.”

The sun has not raged like this for twelve years. On Wednesday, September 6, due to the merger of several sunspots, the Sun released a huge amount of energy. This solar wind will be truly destructive.

Scientists from NASA recently predicted a significant decrease in solar activity, because over the past couple of months there have been no serious magnetic storms. Contrary to expectations, on September 6 something unique happened, but quite real event— The sun has gone beyond its “traditions.”

Communication problems

As you know, the solar wind itself does not cause problems, because it simply does not reach us, because the Earth has two magnetic poles, which protect us from these bombings. But every medal has reverse side. In the case of storms, this side is obvious - the magnetic field is excited, and its waves negatively affect people and equipment.

Speaking of technology: all over the world on September 7 and 8, communication problems are or have been observed. This is quite obvious given the scale of the problem. Most of the explosions or flares on the Sun, fortunately, occurred in a place where it is more difficult for the solar wind to reach the Earth. If you draw an imaginary line from the Sun to the Earth, then the flash was directed slightly to the side. If it were aimed directly at Earth, the problems would be much more dangerous.

Magnetic storm on September 8 and 9

The solar wind travels to Earth for about two or three days. After the flare on September 6, the released energy will reach Earth on the 8th. Even though the flash was not direct, the magnetic storm from it will reach an incredible fourth level. If this outbreak had been directed at us, it would have exceeded the record fifth.

The storm will not only be unpleasant, but destructive. Not only weather-sensitive people, but everyone else can experience headaches. Chronic diseases will worsen in almost one hundred percent of people. According to the first estimates of scientists from America, on September 8 and 9 pharmacies will have huge profits, because the problem will be on a global scale.

On the 8th, the fourth level storm will subside in the evening, reducing its strength to the first level. September 9 will not be a time for relaxation. The Earth's magnetic field will still be excited. We are all lucky that a problem like this comes before the weekend, because in the middle of the week it would lead to serious troubles at work for those who give it their all.

Only common sense and caution will help you protect yourself from danger. Don't drink alcohol and don't overwork yourself at work. All you will need on September 8 and 9 is peace. Abstract yourself from negative thoughts. They should not torment you during these two days. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and

08.09.2017 13:03

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ever produced in the history of observations from the Earth,” astrophysicist Sergei Bogachev told the VZGLYAD newspaper, commenting on a series of powerful flares that occurred on the Sun over last days. He told what consequences can be expected from these outbreaks on Earth.

On Friday, a new powerful flare was recorded on the Sun, its maximum occurred at 11.00 Moscow time, follows from the solar activity graph of the X-ray Solar Astronomy laboratory of the Lebedev Physical Institute Russian Academy Sciences (FIAN). A powerful magnetic storm arose on Earth, which is estimated at four units on a five-point scale.

The FIAN representative admitted that the strength of the magnetic storm turned out to be ten times greater than predicted. Its consequences are difficult to predict. In particular, strong auroras began in the Northern Hemisphere at uncharacteristic latitudes. In addition, it was reported that during the outbreak solar surface spread seismic waves- “sunquake”.

According to scientists, the direction of the magnetic field of the emission is unfavorable for our planet - the field is directed opposite to the earth’s and in present moment“burns the field lines” of the Earth.

Sergei Bogachev, chief researcher at the Solar X-ray Astronomy laboratory, member of the Scientific Council of the Lebedev Physical Institute, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and astrophysicist, spoke in an interview with the newspaper VZGLYAD about whether such “burning” is dangerous for earthlings.

OPINION: Sergey Alexandrovich, how long will this magnetic storm on Earth last?

Sergey Bogachev: Firstly, it is worth noting that the outbreaks were still on Wednesday, the 6th. Accordingly, the clouds of plasma that are ejected during the flare reached us only on Friday. The “impact” was really strong, the flare was large and the speeds were high; on Friday night there was a magnetic storm of very high power - four points on a five-point scale, almost maximum. On Friday afternoon the activity had already subsided. The magnetic storm is still ongoing, the Earth's magnetic field is still disturbed, but its severity is gradually decreasing.

Solar activity is cyclical, and this cycle is well studied. In fact, it has been observed for 300 years already and for all 300 years it worked like a clock. Once every 11 years, the Sun enters a state of maximum activity. But now we are at a minimum, so the fact itself is unusual.

On the other hand, the Sun is still not a clock, not a mechanism, but a complex physical object, which we especially do not fully understand. In a sense, this fact simply confirms our helplessness.

OPINION: One of the outbreaks was classified as extremely strong - as scientists say, classX9.3. How rare is this?

S.B.: There have been events in our history that were perhaps one and a half times more powerful. But due to a combination of factors, such a large flare and the fact that it occurred at a minimum of solar activity is one of the most mysterious events that the Sun has ever produced in the history of observations from Earth.

OPINION: They say she “burns” power lines» Earth. It sounds scary. But what does this really mean?

S.B.: This is a figurative expression. The fact is that the magnetic field, if you imagine it visually, then these are arrows directed, say, upwards. Imagine there is another field with arrows pointing down. You can call the first field a plus, and the second - a minus. With such interaction, these fields begin to annihilate each other, as it were. So it turns out that the ejection field “burns” and destroys some parts of the Earth’s magnetic field. The substance from the ejection, which is usually blocked by the Earth's field, gets the opportunity to penetrate deeper into those layers of the atmosphere into which plasma from the Sun usually does not penetrate.

Accordingly, the Earth's radiation belts are saturated with plasma from the Sun. This explains the aurora that was observed in Canada at the time of the “impact” - very strong, at latitudes up to 40 degrees.

OPINION: Does this somehow affect technology?

S.B.: The aurora can be seen, and the storms can, in a sense, be felt. Flares greatly affect the upper atmosphere. In particular, the Earth has an ionosphere, this is the outer shell of the atmosphere, which contains neutral gases and quasi-neutral plasma. The ionosphere significantly influences shortwave radio communications. Essentially, short radio waves are simply reflected from the ionosphere. Accordingly, radio amateurs know that during solar flares and high solar activity, the nature of radio communication changes. It can improve as the ionosphere becomes denser, or deteriorate as the ionosphere fluctuates.

Interaction with satellites is difficult because the environment around the Earth outer space there is now a lot of plasma that refracts and blocks signals.

Magnetic storms are planetary in nature. There is no place where you can go and hide. If people are weather sensitive, they just need to take the usual precautions. People who know about their tendency to such effects understand this.

VZGLYAD: Do you expect new outbreaks in the near future?

S.B.: Observations show that the Sun's energy has not yet been exhausted, and flares continue. At the same time, the group of sunspots, which is the center of this activity, is now moving more and more to the side due to the rotation of the Sun - relatively speaking, towards the solar horizon. I think that in a day or two it will already be completely “on the edge” of the Sun, from where influence on the Earth is generally impossible. Then he will go to the other side altogether.

If this series of flares again leads to some kind of major record, most likely it will happen on the other side of the Sun. We won't even know about him.

The magnetic storm that raged on Earth on Saturday, caused by an extreme solar flare, is subsiding. It reached a record strength of 7-8 points, more powerful storm was observed only on October 29, 2003. This was announced by the head of the Space Weather Center at the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation named after N.V. Pushkov, Sergei Gaidash.

“The extreme solar flare X9.3, which occurred on the evening of September 6, caused an ejection of solar matter. Sprayed solar plasma reached the Earth, flattened the Earth’s magnetosphere and caused a very large magnetic storm,” the agency’s interlocutor said. According to him, the maximum of the magnetic storm occurred at 3:00 Moscow time on September 9, after which it began to gradually subside, as a group of sunspots approached the edge of the solar disk and will soon leave direct visibility from the Earth.

“The magnetic storm on the territory of Russia reached 7 points, in the United States it was a point more powerful, 8 points. The storm was very large, but not extreme,” the expert said.

Magnetic storms began on Earth on September 6, when the first emissions of solar plasma reached the Earth, following a series of solar flares. A series of solar flares began on September 4.

First, there were five small "M" class flares with a power of 4-5 points, then on September 6 there was an "X" class flare with a power of 2.2 points, and on the same day an extremely strong X9.3 flare occurred. During the night and day of September 7, four “M” class flares were recorded with powers of 2.5, 1, 2.2 and 7.4 points, and on September 8 a flare with a power of M8.1 and a flare of X1.3 were recorded.

Storms followed the outbreaks, repeating their strength. “Our forecast of the start time of the big storm caused by the extreme X9.3 flare was correct in both time and strength,” said Sergei Gaidash. The next act of the cosmic “play” was the auroras caused by magnetic storms. They were observed by residents of Pechora and Ukhta in Russia, who posted images on social networks in the form of a crown, as well as residents of the states of Ohio and Indiana (USA).

Consequences of outbreaks and storms

An extremely powerful flare, X9.3, caused a short-term deterioration in radio communications in Europe and America. The magnetic storm generated by it did not lead to any serious anomalies. According to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for St. Petersburg and the press service of the city ambulance, no surges in accidents or morbidity were recorded during solar flares and magnetic storms.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense reported that the extreme solar flare had no impact on the Russian orbital constellation and ground control systems spacecraft Russian Space Forces. The department added that the duty forces of the ground-based automated control complex carry out communication sessions and control of spacecraft of the Russian orbital constellation in normal mode.

Sergei Gaidash considers it a fortunate coincidence that long series outbreaks began with flares of medium strength.

“We managed to warn all the services responsible for the safety of space technology and other complex equipment. By the time of the extreme outbreak, all the necessary precautions had already been taken,” he said. Sergei Gaidash noted that forecasts of solar flares are very difficult to scientific point vision, since there are unexpected combinations of factors, and also because these phenomena have not yet been sufficiently studied.

Consequences for living organisms

During a series of outbreaks, St. Petersburg hirudotherapists (leech treatment) noticed a special behavior of leeches. “Leeches are excellent living barometers. They react to pressure changes and geomagnetic disturbances. They rebel, are capricious, and do not want to stick to the human body,” noted the agency’s interlocutor.

Scientists have already proven the influence of solar activity on navigation abilities birds and bees. A group of German scientists has put forward a hypothesis about the influence of solar flares on the behavior of whales. Researchers from the universities of Kiel and Cologne, who studied the death of almost three dozen sperm whales that washed up on the North Sea coast in early 2016, suggested that solar flares may be the reason why whales wash ashore and die.

During solar flares, the Earth's magnetic field is greatly distorted, causing whales to swim in the wrong direction and end up in shallow water or beached, the researchers say, recognizing the difficulty of gathering evidence for this theory.

Auroras

The most beautiful sign of solar flares and magnetic storms are auroras in high latitudes, and sometimes, during strong storms, in mid-latitudes. During the flares on October 29, 2003, the aurora was observed at the latitude of Moscow. The current series, according to preliminary data, did not lead to widespread observation of the aurora in the middle orphans.

History knows only one case when the aurora was observed in the tropics.

“It was seen by the English navigator James Cook while crossing the tropics,” said Sergei Gaidash.

Sun Service

According to Yuri Nagovitsyn, head of the solar physics department at the Main Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory, the Soviet Union had the best solar service in the world, including 20 ground-based tracking stations. Now the main flow of information about the state of our star comes from space stations, mostly American.

Therefore, back in 2014, the Pulkovo Observatory undertook to revive the solar service, which included eight identical telescopes placed along the meridians so that the Sun was in the field of view of scientists around the clock. This will make it possible to predict solar flares that can affect the operation of power systems, pipelines, computer and aviation equipment, and human health.

However, the project has not yet received budget funding, and the observatory has relied on extrabudgetary sources and the use of different caliber telescopes that are already in operation. According to Yuri Nagovitsyn, the first algorithms have already been written that are aimed at predicting space weather.

They want to locate the solar service data collection center at the Pulkovo Observatory. The solar service, according to Yuri Nagovitsyn, will allow for round-the-clock solar patrol, and will require much less, an order of magnitude lower, financial costs than when creating orbital telescopes.

Mechanism of solar flares

Aristotle also observed solar flares through smoky glass. A powerful outbreak entered the history of astronomy on September 1, 1859, when two English astronomers - Carrington and Hodgson - independently observing the Sun in white light, saw something like lightning flash suddenly among a group of sunspots. Following this outbreak, a geomagnetic storm broke out, which led to the failure of telegraph systems in Europe and the United States.

Currently, outbreaks are classified into several types, depending on the intensity x-ray radiation at the peak: the most powerful are classified as class X, the less powerful are designated by the letter indices M, C, B or A, in descending order.

The series of flares in September 2017 began when a large group of sunspots appeared directly opposite the Earth.

On Wednesday, September 6, astronomers recorded the largest solar flare in 12 years. On celestial body two powerful flares occurred, one of them was assigned the most high class of the existing ones - X9.Consequences cosmic phenomenon will only be noticeable by the end of this week.“360” found out what measures should be taken to protect yourself from the consequences of a powerful magnetic storm.

Such a powerful explosion resulted from the merger of two largest sunspots. The first outbreak, recorded at 09:10 GMT, was the most powerful since 2015, but was soon eclipsed by the second emission. This was reported on the website of the Laboratory of Solar X-ray Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FIAN).

The last time scientists could observe a class X9 flare was in 2009. The current outbreak occurred at a point that is located towards the Earth, so its impact on the planet may be maximum.

Events of such power are among the largest that our star is capable of producing and which are formed only under very rare, unique conditions - usually at the stage of peak solar activity

FIAN message.

Solar flares occur when the magnetic field of the Sun, which forms dark spots on the surface of a star, twists and releases energy, overheating the surface of the star, Boris Stern, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, senior researcher at the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told 360.

During this process, a large amount of energy is released in the form of various particles that fly towards the Earth. This in turn causes deformation electromagnetic field planets and magnetic storms. As a result, electronic interference, disruption of radio communications, and problems with power lines may occur. I do not rule out that Russians will even be able to see the aurora in the near future.

Boris Stern.

What happened on Wednesday is one of the largest events that released a huge amount of solar energy - the emission speed was at least a thousand kilometers per second, experts from the Lebedev Physical Institute calculated. Streams of solar energy are expected to hit the Earth in the near future. According to the forecast of world observatories, within three days the planet will experience at least 24 hours of magnetic storms with a strength of 1-2 on a 5-point scale.

In addition, if the direction of the ejection field turns out to be unfavorable for the Earth, our planet is likely to face the largest magnetic storm since at least 2010, say scientists at the Laboratory of X-ray Solar Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to their preliminary calculations, the peak approach of solar matter to the Earth will occur on the evening of September 8.

During the entire period of observation, scientists recorded five flares of such intensity on the Sun. The last one was 12 years ago – September 7, 2005.

Headache and depression

Such weather events are harmful to human health. In particular, deterioration in well-being is observed in weather-dependent people, as well as in patients with chronic cardiovascular diseases. These days, there is an increase in the number of heart attacks and strokes, since such a powerful electromagnetic storm causes fluctuations in blood pressure, Doctor of Medical Sciences, nutritionist Maryat Mukhina told the 360 ​​editors.

This magnetic storm causes exacerbation of cardiovascular diseases, and also provokes depression, headaches, sleep disturbances and reduces overall physical activity. Similar symptoms are observed in the heat, when thermoregulation is disrupted and all body functions are disrupted.

Maryat Mukhina.

The doctor advises wearing foil near the heart in order to protect the organ from magnetic failure. In addition, Maryat Mukhina recommends kidney massage, as well as massaging the so-called “sun points” on the legs and arms. It is also necessary to drink at least three liters of water and avoid physical activity. “Excessive nervousness in such weather can lead to excruciating headaches, so you should remain calm on such days,” concluded the doctor of medical sciences.