On the night of May 7 to May 8, a flare and a coronal mass ejection occurred on the Sun. A significant part of the charged particles have already reached the Earth and caused communication interruptions. However, on Wednesday our planet may experience the main impact, which may lead to the appearance of powerful auroras.
Flare and coronal mass ejection
On the night of May 7 to 8 (0:54 a.m.GMT+3), another flare occurred in the Sun. It belonged to the M1.5-class, so it was of medium power. However, it was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection. Part of the plasma shell of the star broke off and flew into space.
The peculiarity of this flare was that it was directed towards the Earth. And the fastest particles have already reached the Earth and caused short-term communication interruptions and power shutdowns in different regions.
However, the coronal mass ejection plasma moves much slower than them. It is planned to reach our planet on Wednesday, May 10. It is expected that it will cause a truly powerful magnetic storm and lead to the appearance of numerous auroras.
Can we expect auroras in Ukraine
Scientists expect that the auroras will be very powerful in this case. Therefore, they should be expected even in such low latitudes as New York. Theoretically, they may be observed in Ukraine, but judging by the forecasts of when the coronal mass ejection reaches our planet, it will be the middle of the day in Kyiv and whether the increased excitation of atmospheric molecules will continue until it gets dark is difficult to say.
But this is not the last opportunity to see the aurora in Ukraine. The activity of the Sun will increase until the end of next year. The magnetic fields above the spots will reconnect more and more often, giving rise to powerful flares.
Therefore, it is quite possible that the auroras over Ukraine will arise again. However, it is impossible to foresee in advance when this will happen. At best, it will become known 1-2 days before the event.
According to www.space.com
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