The Dark Side of Auroras

By: Reid Keller

On September 10, 1859, solar flares erupted from the sun, setting the largest geomagnetic storm in 500 years into motion. The air became so charged that telegraph operators were shocked by their own wires. The aurora was seen above Cuba and Jamaica. This massive storm is now known as the Carrington Event, after the English astronomer who witnessed the solar flares through a telescope. Researchers estimate that the probability of a Carrington-class storm occurring in any given year is roughly 0.7%, and the probability of a slightly weaker, but still severe storm is 4% each year. It is not a question of if we will experience another Carrington Event, but when.

Major geomagnetic storms occur when plasma ejected from the sun impacts Earth’s magnetic field and charges it, causing a disturbance that produces many of the visible effects of the storm. Solar radiation storms are also associated with plasma ejections. The effects of these storms include radiation exposure to passengers on aircraft at high latitudes, satellite damage, and radio disruptions. The third type of space weather that affects Earth is a radio blackout. Radio blackouts are caused by solar flares, and lead to radio blackouts on the sunlit side of Earth, resulting in a loss of contact with aircraft and ships.

If another Carrington Event were to occur today, the effects would be much more noticeable then in 1859. GPS and navigation systems would become unreliable. Entire power grids would collapse, and transformers would experience permanent damage. Radio communications would be impossible across much of the globe. Satellites would become useless, causing WiFi blackouts, along with disrupting long-distance communications and transactions. The estimated 1 million people on planes at any given time would be the most affected. Air traffic control, radios, GPS, and many basic instruments would become unusable. Pilots would have to navigate and land with no assistance. Infrastructure would be impacted in other ways that we can’t imagine.

The best way to protect ourselves from solar storms is to improve our forecasting. Currently, we would have 20 hours’ warning before any major solar storm hit Earth. The more we know about how the sun behaves before an ejection of plasma or a solar flare, the more time we have in advance of a storm to prepare. Power companies could take important transformers offline ahead of a storm, causing local blackouts but protecting the grid from permanent damage. Airlines could cancel flights in order to avoid navigation systems going offline mid-flight.

Space weather is a rarely considered threat to our infrastructure, but it is a major one. Our modern world is heavily reliant on technology, all of which is at risk in the event of a geomagnetic storm. We must be prepared for solar storms, and be ready to take action at a moment's notice to mitigate their effects.

This is just a little quiz to test your knowledge on how much you know your teachers, if you get all the questions correct feel free to take this to room 46 and show Mr. Evancho!