Scientists warn: the increase in the number of magnetic storms on Earth may continue until 2028. This was reported by specialists from the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
According to scientists, in recent months coronal holes have been actively forming on the Sun — areas with a weakened magnetic field from which streams of solar wind burst into space. They are precisely what causes the increase in the number of magnetic storms. The peak of solar activity in the current cycle fell in October–December 2024, while the growth in the number of coronal holes began back at the start of the same year.
In 2025, the Sun continued to demonstrate high dynamics: the number of magnetic storms last year increased by 60% compared with 2023.
Now, images show a large coronal hole of an unusual shape — according to astronomers, it resembles an inverted number "1" and reaches a height of about one million kilometers.
At IKI RAN, they believe that elevated solar activity will persist for at least another two years. After 2028, a decline in all types of activity and a transition to a new solar minimum are expected, approximately by 2029–2030.