Scientists from Russia’s X-ray Solar Astronomy Laboratory, part of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, revisited the assessment of a planetary magnetic storm that swept across the globe on November 5. The latest statements were reported by RIA News in reference to ISTP researchers.
Officials indicate that the velocity and magnitude of the solar plasma flow were initially over- or under-estimated. The timing of the plasma discharge aligned with a relatively weak solar flare that could be detected from Earth.
ISTP researchers noted that the predicted speed and strength of the release were, in hindsight, not accurate. Yet they emphasized that the discrepancy does not fully explain why a seemingly minor solar event could trigger a storm of such intensity.
The magnetic disturbance affected large parts of Russia, with visible red auroras reported even in southern regions on the night of November 5–6. Observers in Crimea, Donbass, the Caucasus, and in the Voronezh, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, and Tyumen regions reported the striking display.
Earlier physicists had explored the problem of where to locate safety measures during a nuclear event, highlighting how space weather dynamics can influence terrestrial risk assessments. (ISTP attribution)