Grzegorz Walijewski of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management said: “It’s possible that a geomagnetic storm could reach the highest level on its five point scale - G5 - meaning that the aurora borealis promise to be spectacular.”
Weather experts have already issued a G4 weather warning this weekend, the first in nearly twenty years, however this stands to possibly be increased to G5. Helena Ciechowska of the Space Research Center at the Polish Academy of Sciences said: “For several days scientists have observed strong ejections coming from the sun… and some of these have thrown solar plasma into space.”
These coronal mass ejections are expected to reach earth over the next few days, bringing with them the potential to view the northern lights. However, not all in Poland will be fortunate enough to view them.
“The chances of seeing them depends not only on the weather in space, but also on the weather on earth,” said Ciechowska. “If cloudy conditions prevail, you won’t be able to see them.” As things stand, those in Northern Mazovia, Warmia, Mazuria, Podlasie and the Lublin area have the greatest chance of viewing them. According to forecasters, other areas of Poland will be blanketed by moderate to heavy clouds.
Despite the strength of the solar storm, little impact is expected on Earth. Although fleeting disruptions to SatNav, radio frequencies and electronic devices are possible, these will not last long.
“We know a lot about geomagnetic storms and we know that nothing bad should happen,” said Ciechowska, adding that “there’s nothing that will significantly impact our everyday lives - we don’t even expect any disruption to the internet.”
Sometimes described as “the Holy Grail of skywatching”, the northern lights (also known as aurora borealis) are created when energized particles shooting from the sun collide into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at speeds of around 72 million kilometers per hour. With Earth protected by its magnetic fields, the ensuing process causes the atmosphere to fluoresce, creating fantastic ribbons of dancing light.
