Solar storm of 1859
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The solar storm of 1859, also known as the Solar Superstorm,[1] or the Carrington Event,[2] is the most powerful solar storm in recorded history.
From August 28 until September 2, numerous sunspots and solar flares were observed on the sun. Just before noon on September 1, the British astronomer, Richard Carrington, observed the largest flare,[3] which caused a massive coronal mass ejection (CME), to travel directly toward Earth, taking eighteen hours. This is remarkable because such a journey normally takes three to four days. It moved so quickly because an earlier CME had cleared its way.[4]
From the 1st to the 2nd, the largest recorded geomagnetic storm occurred, causing the failure of telegraph systems all over Europe and North America.[5] Auroras were seen all over the world, most notably over the Caribbean; also noteworthy were those over the Rocky Mountains that were so bright, the glow awoke gold miners, who began preparing breakfast because they thought it was morning.[3]
Ice cores show evidence that events of similar intensity recur at an average rate of approximately once per 500 years. Since 1859, less severe storms have occurred in 1921 and 1960, when widespread radio disruption was reported.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- The Largest Magnetic Storm on Record, The 'Carrington Event' of August 27 to September 7, 1859; Recorded at Kew Observatory, London, (images of the magnetometer recordings), accessed 28 March 2009
- Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe, New Scientist, 2009-03-23 by Michael Brooks, accessed 28 March 2009
- The Sun Kings: The Unexpected Tragedy of Richard Carrington and the Tale of How Modern Astronomy Began, ISBN 978-0-691-12660-9, Stuart Clark, 2007
