Strong Magnetic Storm Hits Bulgaria: Extreme Disturbances

An extremely strong magnetic storm was registered in the early hours of the day at the Geomagnetic Observatory in Panagyurishte, part of the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography (NIGGG) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). This was announced to BTA by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petya Trifonova, geophysicist from NIGGG-BAS.

According to Assoc. Prof. Trifonova, a magnetic storm of the highest class was observed on the territory of Bulgaria last night, which is a consequence of "the barrage of solar flares in the last three days".

On November 9, 10 and 11, three consecutive solar flares of the highest class were registered. The geophysicist explained that the activity was directed directly towards the Earth. "The solar region that produced these flares at this moment was in a geoeffective orbit and was centrally directed exactly towards planet Earth," emphasized Assoc. Prof. Trifonova. "It was already certain then that the flow of plasma that erupted from the sun would inevitably hit the Earth and, according to its parameters - such as density, speed, it could penetrate or part of it could penetrate the Earth's magnetosphere." The sun erupts, sending a wave of charged particles – protons and electrons. These particles collide with the magnetic shield of the magnetosphere and enter the Earth's atmosphere, causing a magnetic storm.

The situation developed in the early hours of the night around the world, but the entry of the wave was not simultaneous at all points on the planet. Its spread continues. On the territory of our country, the storm has reached its highest degree. "The disturbances are of the highest degree and a K-index of 9 has been reached, which is the maximum, and therefore we have an extremely strong magnetic storm of the highest class," said Assoc. Prof. Trifonova.

She emphasized that the storm is expected to continue later in the day or tomorrow. It was noted that this year the maximum index of 9 has been reached for the first time. The same index was reached in May last year, which coincided with the observation of auroras, the geophysicist recalled.

Solar activity is the factor causing geomagnetic storms. According to Assoc. Prof. Trifonova, we are currently in a period of maximum solar activity, which suggests more frequent occurrences of such phenomena.

Magnetic storms can affect sensitive people, causing headaches, increased pulse, arrhythmia, anxiety, or sleep disturbances.

Technologies are also at risk. Satellites are particularly vulnerable, as they may experience communication disruptions with Earth, management disruptions, or even fall in altitude due to the higher density of the atmosphere. Telecommunications can be affected, and in the event of longer storms, problems in power transmission systems, power lines and transformers can also occur, said Assoc. Prof. Trifonova.

The geomagnetic field in Bulgaria is observed in one of the oldest observatories in the Balkan Peninsula – the Geomagnetic Observatory in Panagyurishte. It has modern equipment and provides real-time information to world data centers and to the website of the NIGGG-BAS. The values of the magnetic field are monitored and calculated around the clock.

The strength of magnetic storms is determined by the K-index, whose values range from 0 to 9. From 0 to 3, the values are visualized in green (calm field). At 4, the color is yellow, which indicates observed disturbances. Values of 5 and above are signaled in red, indicating a storm.