The sky over Belarus was ablaze last night: the most powerful magnetic storm in 20 years hit Earth.
On the night of January 20, 2026, residents of almost all corners of Belarus witnessed a unique spectacle — a bright aurora borealis that painted the sky in unusual colors. The cause of this phenomenon, rare for our latitudes, was an extremely powerful magnetic storm, triggered by a gigantic plasma eruption on the Sun.
This weekend, a maximum-class solar flare occurred on the Sun, after which a huge cloud of solar plasma headed towards Earth. By Tuesday morning, the storm's intensity had reached a critical level, almost reaching the highest level on the five-point scale (G4-G5). Scientists state that such a powerful stream of solar particles near our planet has not been recorded in the last twenty years – similar indicators were observed only in October 2003.
According to specialists' forecasts, the planet will remain in the epicenter of this cosmic storm for at least another day. The geomagnetic situation is expected to remain tense, with a final calm occurring only after two or three days.
In addition to the beautiful glow in the sky, such powerful storms can cause serious disruptions in radio communications and satellites, and also affect the health of people who are highly sensitive to changes in space weather.
Belarusians, however, took advantage of the moment and are filling social media with fantastic sky photos. A large collection was published by the "Meteovibe" channel.
.
Comments