The most powerful magnetic storm may not reach Earth.

The most powerful magnetic storm in the last few months may not reach Earth — it's premature to draw accurate conclusions. This was announced to Izvestia on July 2 by Nathan Eismont, a leading researcher at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

He explained that predicting space weather is accompanied by a number of difficulties, which is why forecasts sometimes do not come true. For data analysis, both ground stations and spacecraft launched into space are used — they are located about 1.5 million km from our planet.

"If a plasma clot goes to Earth, then first of all it reaches these spacecraft, and then it is absolutely safe to predict [the probability of a magnetic storm]. <...> But plasma passes through quite quickly, that is, it is possible to confidently predict both the power and the interaction time in about 20 minutes," Eismont explained.

At the same time, he stressed that there is a good reason for such forecasts — abnormally high solar activity.

"Sunspots have formed in record numbers. This means that there is a certain tension caused by the fact that the plasma is blocked by the Sun's magnetic field. And, of course, this tension eventually breaks through in the form of a plasma release. And this outburst is stronger the more these spots there are," the scientist noted.

Eismont called further forecasts less frightening. He specified that with the rotation of the Sun, the spots will move away from the trajectory directed towards the Earth, and dangerous emissions will rush in the other direction.

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On the same day, the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported that an X-level flare had occurred on the Sun.