On a hot, humid Florida night in late August 1859, the sky suddenly lit up. But it wasn’t from Firefly or Firewomp. Instead, it was the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. Auroras are usually seen in far northern latitudes, but somehow they found their way to the subtropics and danced across the night sky. Reports of aurora borealis have come from as far south as Central America and one in the rocky mountains I believed it was morning The sky was so bright.
Across the British Atlantic Ocean, a A wealthy amateur astronomer named Richard Carrington I was also looking at space. But Carringon had his eye on the sun and its various solar spots and solar flares.
“Sunspots are always there, you can see them with small telescopes,” says astrophysicist at the University of Glasgow hugh hudson say popular science. “Carrington was sketching and recording the area of the spot. At a certain point he realized that the two bright patches of light that appeared in the Sunspot group were not supposed to be there.
Carrington and the Awestruck people of the subtropical Atlantic SAW were related. Auroras are the result of the most intense solar storms in recorded history, Now called Carrington Event. These solar storms can send large clouds of electrifying gas and dust traveling up to 2 million miles per hour. When these particles reach Earth, they can disrupt and distort Earth’s magnetic field.
The Carrington event was so large that these particles are interacting with Earth’s magnetic field Affected communications.
“In some places there were sparks so intense that the wires ignited,” Hudson says. “Some of the telegraph operators were shocked and burned. Connecting long wires together for power distribution is asking for trouble when such a surge occurs.”
Since then, engineers have learned a lot about how to handle these large wires since the Carrington event. However, dependence on electricity is growing exponentially. similar or even bigger miyake event– Magnitude can still occur and its effects are of great interest to SF Aficionados and scientists as well. There is much more technology at risk than just 19th century telegraph linesthe effects can be devastating.
“In today’s world so dependent on electricity and electronics, a similar event could cause widespread destruction and damage to satellites in Earth orbit, ground-based electronics, and electronic equipment aboard the power grid. there is.” alex gianninassaid an astrophysicist at the University of Connecticut. popular science.
In-space infrastructure such as communication satellites is also particularly vulnerable to solar satellites coronal mass discharge (CME). A CME is a large eruption on the surface of the Sun that shoots particles into space. All the energy from the particles could disintegrate solar panels, damage navigation systems, change orbital paths, and potentially cause mass collisions and excess space debris.
[ Related: Does the Sun make noise? ]
There is constant activity occurring on the surface of the Sun, but there is generally lower intensity flare than high-strength ones. The sunspot activity that produces these storms and flares also rises and falls in approximately 11-year cycles. This year we are heading towards the maximum level of this cycle. Larger solar storms are most likely to occur during solar maximum, sometimes several times a day. These can pop up during Solar Minima less than once a week.
“Geomagnetic storms, and more specifically the CMEs that cause them, increase in frequency and intensity as the solar cycle reaches its maximum,” Gianninas says. “We are currently at solar cycle 25, but still heading towards maximum.
Although some scientists estimate that there is a possibility of a Carrington event-like solar storm occurring in the next century. 12% or lessit is still a threat that should be taken seriously. Currently, a series of satellites constantly monitor the sun. These include Geostationary operational environmental satellite (GOES), two solar terrestrial related observatory satellites (stereo A and -B), and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). These send back data and images in both visible and invisible light, allowing you to see a wide range of activity.
[ Related: Hold onto your satellites: The sun is about to get a lot stormier. ]
According to Gianninas, particles from CMEs can take hours to days to reach Earth, so there is advance warning that something is coming. Noah Space Weather Prediction Center It will also be a great resource for tracking all this activity and determining when and if the Northern Lights will be visible. this can give utility companysatellite operator, and Crew aboard the International Space Station Time to prepare your system for impact. For the general public, there isn’t much to do other than charge your devices and make sure you have common emergency supplies like water, batteries, and flashlights.
For scientists and citizen scientists alike, this combination of potential fate and big questions about our origins is part of what makes studying this solar activity so exciting.
“People are so fascinated by the origins of life and the fundamental questions that the stars inspire us,” says Hudson. “I think the sun is in the same category. It’s very close and familiar, but we have strange things happen with solar eclipses. So I think a 10-year-old child is in the same category as an adult. It’s not surprising that it can be surprising.”
This story is part of Popular Science Listen to any serieswe answer your weirdest and most awakening questions from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you always wanted to know? ask us.
More deals, reviews, and buying guides
