Experts at IKI RAS recorded a potent solar flare. A specialist clarified why there’s no need to worry and whom real peril threatens.
What occurred on the Sun
The Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute RAS registered a strong eruption from our star. According to researchers, fully examining the event’s source will be possible only in a week, once the active region rotates toward Earth and becomes viewable.
Lead researcher at IKI RAS Natan Eismont clarified that solar flares themselves pose no danger to people. Hazard arises only with the ejection of plasma toward our planet. Such streams of charged particles, upon reaching Earth, trigger disturbances in the magnetic field—geomagnetic storms.
Actual and Perceived Dangers
Eismont noted that magnetic storms can indeed affect well-being, but only for a small segment of the populace. The psychological factor plays a much larger role: upon learning of a storm forecast, individuals start anticipating illness and attribute every symptom to it.
The scientist stressed that solar flares are a natural phenomenon, especially intense during the solar cycle’s peak periods. They happen routinely and are not unusual. By expert assessment, the current flare provides no cause for alarm.
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