Carrington Event: the day the Sun almost ‘erased’ civilization on Earth

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Solar storms have occurred on Earth since the planet was formed, billions of years ago — it is the same phenomenon that can cause internet blackouts. Natural events of this type usually occur during the peak of the solar cycle. Every 11 years, the Sun goes through a cycle that increases solar activity during the final stages of this period, with more solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

The last big event which showed the reactions that the Sun can cause during the solar cycle is known as the Carrington Event, when the solar structure released a large eruption that sent powerful electrical currents to Earth. At the time, several people reported that the electrical charge was capable of destroying telegraph systems, causing fires and even electrocuting some line operators.

Since then, civilization has never experienced anything exactly like it; according to scientists, the scenario may change during the period of solar maximum predicted to occur until 2025 — therefore, Internet blackout is just one of the possible scenarios. Similar phenomena have occurred throughout Earth’s history, but the Carrington Event was the last major one observed by science.

“Last night’s auroral display was so bright after midnight that an ordinary print could be read in its light. It considerably impeded the operation of telegraph lines, and its effects continued until noon today. The auroral current of east and west was so regular that the operators of the eastern lines could send messages to this city without the application of the usual batteries”, was published in the Weekly West newspaper, at the time of the event.

Scientists have already managed to find several pieces of evidence of other, more powerful events that occurred during Earth’s history. For example, approximately 14,300 years ago, a solar storm left fossil records in subfossilized trees that reveal a large eruption.

What was the Carrington Event

The Carrington Event occurred in early September 1859, when a solar storm struck the planet following a large coronal mass ejection (CME) in the Sun’s upper atmosphere.. Over approximately 17.6 hours, the storm traveled approximately 50 million kilometers to reach Earth.

The event was named after English amateur observer Richard Carrington, who detected the solar storm on September 1, 1859. The entire observation lasted just five minutes, and it was only almost a day later that the CME arrived on the planet.

A study published in 2016 states that the Carrington Event was the first major solar storm observed and reported by science.Source: Getty Images

In addition to fires, shocks and the limitation of communication services at the time, the result of the phenomenon was even more impressive for operators of telegraph machines. They reported that the equipment continued to not work properly one day after the event. However, when they removed the batteries, they realized that the devices continued to work due to the electrical current caused by the CME.

Another impressive effect was the spectacular auroras that could be observed in different regions of the world, such as in the south of Cuba, Hawaii and the extreme north of Chile. According to History, it was the first time that many people were able to appreciate the auroras; In fact, some were even scared and believed that the end of the world was near.

Solar flares are triggered when magnetic energy builds up on the Sun and is released unexpectedly; they commonly accompany coronal mass ejections. Particles charged with electricity are produced during the solar storm and sent to different regions of space; In 2021, a study revealed that the explosion from the Carrington Event was equivalent to nearly 100 billion one-megaton nuclear bombs.

Storm Carrington and the historical repercussions

If it were to occur today, The Carrington Event could end the internet and cause chaos in all services that depend on the online network. In a paper published in 2013, scientists suggested that a similar phenomenon could also result in massive power outages across the world and generate up to US$2.6 billion in damage to the energy sector.

In another study carried out in 2024, researchers suggest that an event at the level of the Carrington Event only occurs between 100 and 1000 years. Events 10 times stronger tend to happen every 3,000 years, while solar storms 100 times even more powerful can happen every 6,000 years.

“Extreme solar storms can have huge impacts on Earth. Such superstorms can permanently damage transformers in our electrical grids, resulting in massive, widespread blackouts that last for months.. An accurate understanding of our past is essential if we are to accurately predict our future and mitigate potential risks. We still have a lot to learn. Each new discovery not only helps answer key existing questions, but can also generate new ones,” said University of Leeds (UK) statistician Tim Heaton.

Did you like the content? So, stay up to date with more historical astronomical studies and events like this one here at TecMundo and take the opportunity to also find out what could happen with Earth in the event of a ‘killer’ solar storm.