MOSCOW, May 3. /TASS/. A solar storm reached the Earth earlier than was planned and is now gaining intensity, the space weather monitoring center of the Institute of Applied Geophysics has told TASS.

According to the center’s monitoring data, the geomagnetic storm was estimated to be at the G2 (Moderate) level on a five-point scale when it reached the Earth on Thursday, but intensified to the G3 category (Strong) in the early hours of Friday.

Powerful solar flares were registered on April 30 and May 1.

Solar flares are divided into five classes according to their X-ray strength: the smallest ones are A-class, followed by B, C, M and X. A0.0 class is equal to the radiation energy found in the Earth’s orbit, 10 nanowatts per square meter. Each letter stands for a 10-fold increase in energy output. As a rule, the flares, known as giant explosions on the sun, send solar plasma into space, and the clouds of these charged particles can bring about geomagnetic storms when reaching the Earth.