The Carrington Event — the most powerful solar storm in history In 1859, the Earth was hit by the strongest geomagnetic storm ever recorded. It was called the Carrington Event. It was caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME). The cloud of solar plasma reached the planet in just 17.6 hours, although it usually takes 2-3 days. The storm caused bright auroras, telegraph failure, electric shocks to operators, and fires at stations. If such a storm occurred today, satellites, communications, the Inter

The 1859 solar storm, known as the Carrington Event, was the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded. It was caused by a colossal coronal mass ejection from the sun, which took less than 18 hours to reach Earth—a trip that normally takes days. The resulting auroras were so bright that people in the northeastern U.S. could read newspapers by their light at midnight. Beyond the spectacular displays, the storm induced massive electrical currents in telegraph lines. Operators were shocked, equi

In 1859, the Carrington Event sent a massive solar storm hurtling toward Earth in less than a day! Auroras lit up the sky, telegraphs failed, and some even caught fire. Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Cente #solarstorm #sun #space #astronomy | Space science