The Great Solar Storm of 1859
On September 2, 1859, a massive solar storm composed of subatomic
charged particles slammed into the earth’s protective magnetosphere. It
ignited countless fires and caused sparks to spew from telegraph
machines, shocking their operators. It also created a dramatic show of
aurora borealis, or northern lights, as far south as the Caribbean.
Solar storms occur when enormous bubbles of superheated plasma are
periodically ejected from the sun. Scientists believe that if a similar
solar storm were to happen today, it would cause catastrophic damage by
crippling power grids, satellites, GPS, and communications systems. Such
an event could leave North American without power for months or years
and could carry an economic impact as high as $2 trillion.
While conducting observations from his private observatory outside of
London on the morning of September 1, 1859, British amateur astronomer
Richard Carrington noticed patches of intense white light erupt from the
sun. The eruptions lasted about five minutes before dissipating. Little
did Carrington know the flare he observed sent solar wind shock waves
carrying supercharged plasma racing towards the earth. Hours later,
those particles slammed into the earth’s magnetic shield, creating
auroral flashes and clouds in vivid colors of red, violet, pink, and
green. This single solar storm carried the energy equivalent of 10
billion atomic bombs and is known as the Carrington Event.
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