[Regnum] The emergence of a large coronal hole on the Sun will lead to a significant acceleration of the solar wind near the Earth, but is unlikely to provoke strong magnetic storms. Sergei Bogachev, head of the Solar Astronomy Laboratory at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences,told RIA Novosti on January 13.According to him, coronal holes usually occur on a quiet Sun. This phenomenon is the opposite of solar activity.
“Now, after an active start to the year, the Sun has noticeably calmed down, and against this background such phenomena are occurring,” Bogachev explained.
The increase in the solar wind speed in the vicinity of the Earth is the main consequence of the formation of coronal holes. The speed is expected to increase to 400-600 kilometers per second today and remain at this level for the entire week. This is a significant, but not too dangerous increase, the scientist noted.
Due to the acceleration of the solar wind, he added, the situation in the Earth's magnetosphere will worsen, but there will probably be no magnetic storms. Coronal holes can cause strong storms - up to the third level, but there is not enough data for an accurate forecast.
Earlier, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences Anatoly Petrukovich warned in a conversation with the Regnum news agency that powerful solar flares would continue until 2025. The expert specified that the star is experiencing a period of high activity, which repeats approximately every 11 years.
The first high-class X- ray flare in 2025 was recorded on the Sun on January 3.