In September 1859, humanity witnessed the most powerful solar event ever recorded: the Carrington Magnetic Storm. It was named after British astronomer Richard Carrington, who observed a massive solar flare on September 1st. Just hours later, Earth was struck by a huge coronal mass ejection, causing intense geomagnetic disturbances.
The event had immediate and dramatic effects on the most advanced communication technology of the time — the telegraph. In Europe, America, Asia, and Australia, telegraph networks collapsed for several hours. Wires and equipment overheated, and in many cases, operators received electric shocks. Remarkably, some telegraph systems continued to operate even when disconnected from their power sources, powered solely by the electric current generated by the magnetic storm.
The Aurora Borealis Set the Global Network Ablaze
The events captured widespread public interest and were extensively reported in newspapers of the time. Eyewitness accounts came from all corners of the globe: people were able to see the stunning aurora borealis as far south as Chile and Hawaii. Telegraph operators in North America and Europe, however, relayed more ominous news. The Pittsburgh operator reported that after disconnecting his batteries, he was still able to send messages using only the energy induced in the telegraph lines by the magnetic disturbances. “On the morning of September 2nd, at my request, the telegraph operator in Philadelphia disconnected his battery, as mine was already offline. During these periods of operation, we exchanged messages with great satisfaction. However, when the circuit was broken, not only sparks appeared, but also streams of fire, which — had they lasted more than a moment — would certainly have melted the platinum contacts of the key.”
Several employees were electrocuted, including a telegraph operator in Washington, who reported: “I happened to lean toward the telegraph device, which was near the wall, and my forehead lightly touched a grounded wire. I immediately received a very strong electric shock that left me dazed for a moment. An elderly man sitting a short distance across from me said he saw a spark jump from my forehead to the device.” Elsewhere, fires broke out in telegraph offices, as shown in the following account from Norway: “The current was stronger on the more distant lines heading north, where sparks and continuous electrical discharges were observed. Pieces of paper caught fire, and at times the current was so intense that it became necessary to ground the lines to protect the equipment from destruction.”
Carrington reloaded
The Carrington Storm was the first recorded example of space weather impacting human technologies. Although telegraphy was still in its infancy at the time, the event revealed the close relationship between the Sun and Earth’s technological infrastructure. Back then, however, the world was not heavily dependent on electricity. Today, with telecommunications relying on satellites, GPS, mobile phone services, and power grids, a similar event would have far more severe consequences.
In July 2012, Earth narrowly escaped a Carrington-class magnetic storm, which passed through Earth’s orbit just one week after our planet had moved on. According to NASA, a modern-day Carrington-like storm would cause widespread technological disruptions, grid failures, and problems in navigation and communications. While it wouldn’t pose an immediate threat to human life on Earth, the impact on critical infrastructure and the global economy would be enormous — with recovery times ranging from weeks to months and potential costs reaching into the trillions of dollars.