A powerful flash occurred on the Sun the other day, provoking a magnetic storm on Earth. Because of this phenomenon, residents of Central Russia (including Muscovites) were able to see the Northern lights in the sky on the night of April 23-24.

There are five levels of magnetic storms — from G1 to G5. Strong storms are measured at levels from G3 to G5, they can cause disruptions in shortwave communications and navigation systems, as well as lead to voltage failures in industrial networks. According to the head of the Omsk astronomical circle Olga Smolyankina, magnetic storms affect the devices that are installed on satellites orbiting the Earth and low orbits, as well as the state of the atmosphere. She also explained why storms are the cause of the Northern lights:

— When a magnetic storm occurs, then, in simple words, the Earth's magnetic field is breached and gives access to solar wind particles, they penetrate into the deep layers of the atmosphere, collide with its particles, and the atmosphere glows. So much for the aurora borealis.

On the videos of the auroral glow made in Moscow, the transition from green to pink is noticeable. The ionization of oxygen by charged particles (the process that causes the Northern lights) occurs in different ways at different heights. Up to 200 kilometers, it is manifested by a green glow, at altitudes of 300-400 kilometers, the transition to shades of red begins.

On the night of April 24, residents of Moscow, Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Sverdlovsk and Leningrad regions, Perm, Tatarstan and other regions of Russia reported purple-green flashes in the sky.