This summarizes the anomalies of the past week or so via xras.ru :
The first strong magnetic storm of 2026 has ended.
The first strong magnetic storm of 2026 has ended, becoming one of the most significant events of the 21st century. GEOmagnetic indices left the red zone yesterday at around 4 pm Moscow time, and are currently stabilising at Kp=3-4, which separates a quiet Earth's magnetosphere from a slightly disturbed level.
The storm was a reaction to an X1.9 solar flare, the most powerful category, which occurred on Sunday, 18 January at around 21:00 Moscow Time. The event was registered in active region 4341, which had previously produced two large explosions in the first half of the month while still on the far side of the Sun. By the 18th, due to the Sun's rotation around its axis, it had moved to the side visible from Earth, and at the time of the explosion it was located precisely on the Sun–Earth line. This positioning partially explains the exceptional strength of the subsequent impact on the planet, but not entirely, as a number of facts are extremely difficult to reconcile with basic concepts of solar activity.
The main, difficult-to-explain consequence of the explosion was an exceptionally powerful radiation storm, accompanied by the strongest increase in the number of energetic protons (with energies above 10 MeV) in the vicinity of Earth in the 21st century. Within 24 hours, the density values rose to 37,000 units, which exceeded the “red level” thresholds by a thousand times and the indicators of the strongest flares of the current cycle by 20 times. The seemingly unbreakable records of the beginning of the century, recorded after the largest flares of the current century (about 30,000 units), were surpassed, and only slightly fell short of breaking the absolute record of 43,000 units, recorded back in the 20th century. The causes and consequences of this event (including the amount of radiation received by spacecraft during this period) are still to be investigated. It can only be noted that the increase in protons knocked out the sensors of the ACE spacecraft, which measures the speed of solar plasma in orbit, and for this reason, the speed of the plasma ejection that reached Earth is still unknown.
In terms of the strength of the magnetic storm, contrary to expectations, the event did not reach the highest level of G5, stopping one step away from it at G4.7. Thus, the twenty-year record for this indicator, set two years ago on May 10-11, 2024, remained unbroken. Two other storms in this cycle reached a level similar to the current event: on October 11, 2024, and November 12, 2025. The total duration of the past storm was about 42 hours.
The event was accompanied by exceptionally strong auroras, which were observed as far south as Crimea and, in general, the southern borders of the country. It is highly likely that the sky was lit up for two days over Moscow, which could have been observed even despite the lights of the big city, but on both days the city, as well as St. Petersburg, where the auroras were even brighter, was covered by continuous clouds. Nevertheless, numerous photographs from various, often completely unexpected regions of the country clearly testify to the exceptional power of the past event.
At the moment, the solar wind parameters have completely returned to normal. The plasma ejection passed Earth and is moving on toward Jupiter, and, as already noted, tonight it was supposed to pass (or is about to pass) through comet 3I/ATLAS, which is on its way to Jupiter. The Sun has returned to its normal mode and is now in a state of moderate activity. In the coming days, flares and new moderate magnetic storms are possible, but the planet is unlikely to experience such strong events again for a long time.
The first strong magnetic storm of 2026 has ended.
The first strong magnetic storm of 2026 has ended, becoming one of the most significant events of the 21st century. GEOmagnetic indices left the red zone yesterday at around 4 pm Moscow time, and are currently stabilising at Kp=3-4, which separates a quiet Earth's magnetosphere from a slightly disturbed level.
The storm was a reaction to an X1.9 solar flare, the most powerful category, which occurred on Sunday, 18 January at around 21:00 Moscow Time. The event was registered in active region 4341, which had previously produced two large explosions in the first half of the month while still on the far side of the Sun. By the 18th, due to the Sun's rotation around its axis, it had moved to the side visible from Earth, and at the time of the explosion it was located precisely on the Sun–Earth line. This positioning partially explains the exceptional strength of the subsequent impact on the planet, but not entirely, as a number of facts are extremely difficult to reconcile with basic concepts of solar activity.
The main, difficult-to-explain consequence of the explosion was an exceptionally powerful radiation storm, accompanied by the strongest increase in the number of energetic protons (with energies above 10 MeV) in the vicinity of Earth in the 21st century. Within 24 hours, the density values rose to 37,000 units, which exceeded the “red level” thresholds by a thousand times and the indicators of the strongest flares of the current cycle by 20 times. The seemingly unbreakable records of the beginning of the century, recorded after the largest flares of the current century (about 30,000 units), were surpassed, and only slightly fell short of breaking the absolute record of 43,000 units, recorded back in the 20th century. The causes and consequences of this event (including the amount of radiation received by spacecraft during this period) are still to be investigated. It can only be noted that the increase in protons knocked out the sensors of the ACE spacecraft, which measures the speed of solar plasma in orbit, and for this reason, the speed of the plasma ejection that reached Earth is still unknown.
In terms of the strength of the magnetic storm, contrary to expectations, the event did not reach the highest level of G5, stopping one step away from it at G4.7. Thus, the twenty-year record for this indicator, set two years ago on May 10-11, 2024, remained unbroken. Two other storms in this cycle reached a level similar to the current event: on October 11, 2024, and November 12, 2025. The total duration of the past storm was about 42 hours.
The event was accompanied by exceptionally strong auroras, which were observed as far south as Crimea and, in general, the southern borders of the country. It is highly likely that the sky was lit up for two days over Moscow, which could have been observed even despite the lights of the big city, but on both days the city, as well as St. Petersburg, where the auroras were even brighter, was covered by continuous clouds. Nevertheless, numerous photographs from various, often completely unexpected regions of the country clearly testify to the exceptional power of the past event.
At the moment, the solar wind parameters have completely returned to normal. The plasma ejection passed Earth and is moving on toward Jupiter, and, as already noted, tonight it was supposed to pass (or is about to pass) through comet 3I/ATLAS, which is on its way to Jupiter. The Sun has returned to its normal mode and is now in a state of moderate activity. In the coming days, flares and new moderate magnetic storms are possible, but the planet is unlikely to experience such strong events again for a long time.
