The arctic researches are conducted between Dec 2024 and Mar 2025. The measurements include Solar spectrometry in the RF bands, Ionospheric VLF measurements, Measurements of the Earth magnetic field.

The results are pending publishing

Bulgarian discovery from Antarctica could help predict earthquakes

Assoc. Peter Petkov, Principal Asst. Dr. Ivaylo Nachev, First Polar Astronomy Project of Bulgaria

Author  Volen Chilov, Bloomberg TV, 6 May 2025

Any information about solar activity would give us methods to react more adequately to a current or upcoming event. From our base in Antarctica, where we can observe the Sun continuously without other radio frequency interference, we are seeing signals ahead of satellite data, which could be a Bulgarian contribution to early detection of solar flares and to solar science. This was said by Assoc. Petar Petkov and prof. as. Dr. Ivaylo Nachev, one of the leaders and participants in the First Bulgarian Polar Astronomy Project, in the program “Futurism” with host Anton Gruev.

The First Polar Astronomy Project of Bulgaria is a joint initiative between the Institute of Astronomy, the National Astronomical Observatory, the Technical University of Sofia and the Higher Naval School. It originated several years ago when the institutions were working together on another scientific project.

The project consisted of conducting four key experiments. One is ionospheric monitoring, which monitors the impact of solar flares on the ionosphere using a sensor developed by the University of Technology. In addition, a radio-frequency solar spectrometer that operates in the 20-1000 MHz range and continuously monitors the Sun, thanks to the long daylight hours in summer in the polar zone, has been implemented.

  "It's an antenna that rotates and constantly monitors the Sun. It is placed in the polar zone, where there are 21-22 hours of daylight in the summer, which allows for almost continuous observations," Dr. Nachev noted.

Added to this are geomagnetic monitoring and radiation observation systems, which contribute to creating a comprehensive picture of the cosmic impacts on Earth. One of the most important factors in choosing a polar location is the almost complete absence of radio frequency interference and the geographic uniqueness of the South Pole, where there are few stations. This enables the team to “see” events that often go unnoticed.

Solar activity can have serious consequences for communications and even for the Earth's power grids. Assoc. Petkov said that with high activity, there is interference with GPS, communication systems and even power grid synchronization and added that geomagnetic storms have health effects, especially in people with cardiovascular and neurological problems.

“We are providing data that could help medical researchers establish precise dependencies and take preventive or mitigating measures for these patients' conditions.”

First results from the experiments are now in - they are in line with results from other stations, including partners in Antarctica, significantly confirming their credibility.

The team has formed a hypothesis that could be a Bulgarian breakthrough in global solar science.

    “Thanks to the long baseline, we are seeing signals ahead of satellite data, which could be a Bulgarian contribution to the early detection of solar flares.”

The team is not stopping at ground-based experiments alone. During the voyage to the polar base, an experiment was also carried out with a sensor installed on the ship to monitor for changes in the ionosphere. The data has yet to be post-processed, but there is a similarity between the measurements from the ship and from the base that is “very promising.”

There is a hypothesis in which seismic activity can be predicted with these changes.

    "In the beginning it was a hypothesis, now it is a hypothesis with some facts. And if we can as a scientific community establish a cause and effect relationship, that would just be a significant point in predicting seismic activity, and Bulgaria is in a seismic zone and this discovery could be of very high value," said Assoc. Petar Petkov

While such signals will be able to come minutes before at the earliest, “even 10 seconds several times turns out to be the difference between life and the end of life.”

The team's next goal is to improve the instrumentation and repeat the experiments during the winter season.

    “We hope that within 2-3 years we will be able to build a permanent Bulgarian polar observation station,” Nachev said.