Tag: carrington event

Technology

As sunspot count reaches a 21-year high, threat of a Carrington-level solar storm for Earth rises

As we enter July, the solar data from the previous month has been published and the number is terrifying. In June 2023, the average number of sunspots was counted to be 163. As a result, 2023 has also broken a 21-year record for the highest number of sunspots. And it has only been one half of a year. The current projection will make the peak of Solar Cycle 25 far greater than its predecessor, even as initial predictions said it would be weaker than Solar Cycle 24. With the rising intensity of solar activity, researchers fear that a powerful Carrington event-level solar storm could soon strike the Earth.As per the data from the Royal Observatory of Belgium's Solar Influences Data Analysis Center, the average number of sunspots in June was 163, and it has taken 2023 to a 21-year high. A ...
Technology

Forget Carrington event, this is the WORST solar storm in history; it can strike again!

When it comes to the worst ‘recorded' solar storms in history, the first to come to mind is the solar storm of 1859, which is also known as the Carrington event. It was so powerful that it caused sparks and fires in telegraph machines and caused power grid failures. But, it is far from the worst solar storms that our planet has experienced. Many astronomers and geologists have found evidence that suggests in 774 CE, a solar storm hit the Earth and it was so powerful that it started forest fires. The terrifying incident is known as the Miyake event. Although scientists have not been able to prove whether it was caused by a solar storm beyond doubt, a study has found more conclusive evidence in support of it.The data comes from a study published in Nature Journal where a group of Japanes...
Technology

Worst solar storm of the century DESTROYED power grids; Know if it can strike us again in 2023

The Carrington event is the most intense solar storm event in our recorded history, but it occurred 164 years ago in 1859, and back then, humans had rudimentary communications technology, but even then it sparked fires to break out spontaneously and the operators suffered electric shocks. But one does not need to go that far to realize the terrifying potential of solar storms. 34 years ago, the Earth witnessed the worst solar storm of the century and it was so powerful that it knocked out power grids in Canada. Not only that, but it also caused short-wave radio blackouts that impacted the operations of a UN peacekeeping force in Namibia. Check out the details.The worst solar storm of the centuryOn March 13, 1989, the Earth witnessed a solar storm so strong that it perplexed even the mo...
Technology

Solar storm in 2023 can be as DANGEROUS as scary Carrington event; Will Earth survive?

Today, the Sun is quiet. After a long period of continuous and regular solar activity, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has revealed that the solar disturbance levels are expected to stay low today, April 8 and chances of a solar storm event is next to none. But, if you have been following space weather in 2023, you will know that this is a rare break amid a series of destructive events. The Earth has suffered damage from multiple X-class solar flare eruptions, one G4-class and multiple G3-class geomagnetic storms and solar wind onslaught. But now, astronomers are finding out that the solar activity in the Solar Cycle 25 is reaching an unprecedented level. Even a Carrington event level solar storm cannot be kept out of the question.Yesterday, April 7, Scott McIntosh,...
Technology

Terrifying solar storm stopped oil rigs from working! How this Tech Terror was unleashed

The severe impact of a solar storm is something astronomers still do not understand fully. In most instances, they are limited to brightly colored curtain-like structures in the sky known as auroras. In some instances, they can also cause radio blackouts affecting drone pilots and aviators. But in some situations, their effect can be extremely devastating. In 1859, telegraph machines gave electric shocks to operators and functioned even when not plugged in after a solar storm struck. And just a month ago, Canadian oil rigs were forced to close operations for the first time in years after a solar storm.The incident in 1859 is now famously known as the Carrington event, one of the worst recorded solar storms in history. But the incident on February 27 in Canada was not an extremely power...
Technology

As February breaks 10 year sunspot record, geomagnetic storms run HAVOC on Earth

When Solar Cycle 25 began at the end of 2019, many forecasters predicted that it would be a weak one based on the past performance of the Sun. The Solar Cycle 24 was a particularly underwhelming one, and we have not really seen an aggressive solar cycle ever since 1859, when the Carrington event took place. However, scarily the Sun has been exceeding the predictions for a while. And as such, it seems the Earth should be prepared for a terrifying geomagnetic storm in the near future because all the signs are pointing towards it.A study by Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi, an Indian scholar and assistant professor at University of California focused on the adverse effects of geomagnetic storms and the study highlighted that “ this (solar) cycle has the potential to be one of the strongest on recor...
Technology

Sun records highest number of sunspots in 9 years; Solar storm disaster in the making?

Yesterday, February 2, the Earth again suffered a solar storm attack. This time, luckily, it was a low intensity solar storm and its impact on the Earth was marginal. In the skies of the northern hemisphere in higher latitudes, aurora displays were visible in the late hours. However, many astronomers believe this is just the beginning of a long lasting solar storm onslaught on the Earth. And there is a reason for this belief. January 2023 witnessed the highest sunspots on the Sun, creating a new nine year record. But with 2 years still to go for the Sun to reach the peak of the current solar cycle, what does this mean for the Earth in the coming days? Sadly, the outlook is not good.The development was reported by SpaceWeather.com which stated, “In a continued sign of strength for Sola...
Technology

As unpredictable solar storms ravage Earth, AI comes to the rescue

Artificial intelligence (AI) could become a useful tool to track the terrifying solar storms that are constantly hitting Earth. Solar storms are hitting Earth almost constantly as the Sun reaches the peak of its current solar cycle. And the worst part is that we cannot predict whether the dangerous sunspots currently present on the Sun will explode to create more storms. That is because we do not have a method to predict solar storms. We only know about them after the Sun has erupted, which gives us a warning period between 2-48 hours, depending on the type of solar disturbance. But now, some scientists believe that artificial intelligence (AI) could be a crucial tool to predict solar storms weeks or even months ahead of time.Dr. Andy Smith from Northumbria University in UK has been ...
Technology

Terrifying 1859-type solar storm can strike Earth AGAIN soon; Know what can happen

In 1859, the world witnessed the most destructive solar storm on record, known as the Carrington event. But could a similarly intense solar event again take place soon? Find out. Solar storms as a cosmic nuisance have been present since the origin of the Sun itself. But most of these are minor to moderate in intensity that do not really impact us in a major way. The Earth regularly deals with shortwave radio blackouts, GPS disruptions and even minor satellite damage, but that has been the limit, more or less, of its powers in recent years. However, solar storms are capable of extreme levels of destruction. History tells us about one such terrifying occurrence that changed our views on just how powerful explosions on the Sun can be. It happened in 1859 and we know it as the Carrington...
Technology

Terrifying solar storm coming to Earth! Sunspot set to spark X-class solar flare explosion today

The Earth could be on the brink of suffering a a blow from a massive solar storm that is in-the-works as multiple sunspots are ready to blast an X-class solar flare today, January 12. Last week was terrifying for the Earth. First a solar storm struck the Earth and caused GPS disruption across the affected regions and then two X-class solar flare eruptions caused shortwave radio blackouts in Australia, New Zealand and South America. But it seems that the troubled times are not yet over for our planet. Reports suggest that multiple unstable sunspots have emerged on the Earth-facing side of the Sun which can blast another X-class solar flare towards the Earth today, January 12. In fact, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predictions suggest that there is a 70% chance of...