The Carrington Event: The 1859 Solar Superstorm That Could Happen Again
The most powerful solar storm in recorded history struck Earth in 1859 – and today we’re far more vulnerable.
In early September 1859, Earth was struck by the most powerful solar storm ever recorded. Known today as the Carrington Event, the blast from the Sun lit night skies around the world and caused telegraph systems to spark, fail, and even catch fire. At the time, telegraphs were the cutting-edge technology of the day.
If a solar superstorm of similar strength hit now, the consequences would be far more serious. Modern society depends on electricity, satellites, and global communications, systems that are vulnerable to extreme space weather. A repeat of the Carrington Event could disrupt power grids, GPS, aviation, and supply chains within hours.
What Was the Carrington Event Solar Storm of 1859?
The Carrington Event was the most powerful solar storm ever recorded. It occurred on September 1–2, 1859, when a massive solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) struck Earth’s magnetic field. The storm produced worldwide auroras, disrupted telegraph systems, shocked operators, and even started fires. Scientists use it as the benchmark for a worst-case solar superstorm that could seriously impact modern power grids and satellites if it happened today.
On the morning of September 1, 1859, English astronomer Richard Carrington was observing the Sun through a telescope that projected the image onto a screen so he could sketch sunspots safely.
Suddenly, he saw two brilliant flashes of light erupt from a large sunspot group. The light grew rapidly brighter than anything he had ever seen, then faded within minutes.
Carrington had just witnessed an enormous solar flare, followed by a massive coronal mass ejection (CME). Billions of tons of charged solar plasma hurled directly toward Earth.
The CME reached Earth in roughly 17 hours, far faster than the typical two to four days.
This version: digitally restored and sharpened using Topaz Photo AI (processing by Ken Jorgustin), February 2026).
A rare historical photograph of Richard Carrington by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) in their archives. It comes from a session at the Maull & Polyblank studio in London around 1856, part of the Literary and Scientific Portrait Club. Previously, no authentic image of him was thought to exist (many sources, including older Wikipedia versions, mistakenly used a portrait of Lord Kelvin instead).
What Happened During the Carrington Event Solar Storm?
When the Carrington Event struck Earth in September 1859, it triggered the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded. Brilliant auroras were seen around the world, even near the equator. Telegraph systems across Europe and North America failed, operators received electric shocks, and some telegraph equipment sparked and caught fire. It was the first time in history that solar activity was directly linked to technological disruption on Earth.
The results were astonishing:
- Auroras lit up the sky worldwide, seen as far south as the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Central America
- Night skies were so bright people reportedly thought morning had arrived
- Telegraph systems failed across Europe and North America
- Operators received electric shocks
- Telegraph wires threw sparks and even started fires
In 1859, the telegraph was the cutting-edge technology of the day.
These were the first recorded technological effects of a major solar storm on human infrastructure.
It was no match for the Sun.
Why the Carrington Event Matters More Today
In 1859, society ran on muscle, steam, and simple mechanical systems.
Today, nearly every essential service depends on electricity and electronics.
A Carrington-scale storm now would not just disrupt communication, it could damage the physical backbone of modern civilization.
What Would Happen If a Carrington-Level Solar Storm Hit Today?
If a solar storm as powerful as the Carrington Event struck Earth today, the impacts would extend far beyond auroras in the sky. Modern civilization depends on vast electrical grids, satellites, GPS, aviation systems, and global supply chains, all of which are vulnerable to extreme space weather. Instead of telegraph disruptions, we could see large-scale power outages, satellite failures, communication breakdowns, and transportation delays affecting millions of people within hours.
Scientists consider a Carrington-scale storm the benchmark for a worst-case space weather disaster in the modern era.
⚡ The Power Grid
Long high-voltage transmission lines would act like giant antennas, picking up geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). These slow-moving currents can:
- Overheat and destroy extra-high-voltage (EHV) transformers
- Cause widespread voltage collapse
- Trigger cascading grid failures across entire regions
Large transformers are custom-built, extremely heavy, and often manufactured overseas. Replacements can take many months, even years.
Image of melted transformer coil from the Quebec transmission grid following a major CME during 1989:
🛰 Satellites & GPS
A severe solar storm could:
- Damage satellite electronics
- Disrupt GPS navigation (affecting aviation, shipping, trucking, and precision agriculture)
- Increase atmospheric drag, causing some satellites to lose orbit
✈ Aviation
Airlines flying over polar routes depend on high-frequency radio and satellite navigation. Both can fail during intense solar storms, forcing flights to reroute and increasing radiation exposure for crews and passengers.
📡 Communications & Internet
Fiber optic cables themselves are safe, but:
- Data centers depend on grid power
- Cell towers rely on limited battery backups
- Internet service fails once backup power runs out
💧 Water, Fuel, and Food
Without electricity:
- Municipal water pumps stop
- Fuel pumps at gas stations don’t work
- Refrigeration fails
- Supply chains stall quickly
Modern cities are not designed to function for long without electricity. For that matter, you might say that ALL of modern infrastructure will break down without electricity.
How Likely Is Another Carrington-Level Solar Storm?
Scientists estimate that solar storms as powerful as the Carrington Event are rare but not impossible. Research suggests that Carrington-level geomagnetic storms may occur roughly once every 100 to 200 years, though smaller but still disruptive solar storms happen more frequently. Because modern technology is far more sensitive to space weather, even a somewhat weaker storm today could cause significant impacts.
History has already given us warnings that extreme solar storms can and do happen:
- In 1989, a geomagnetic storm knocked out power to millions in Quebec when the grid operated by Hydro-Québec collapsed in under two minutes
- In 2012, a massive CME of similar strength to the Carrington Event crossed Earth’s orbit , but we were lucky. The planet had moved on just days earlier
2012 CME | A Near Miss Catastrophic Disaster
In other words, the question is not whether extreme solar storms occur, but when the next major one will strike.
Space weather is now continuously monitored by agencies such as NASA and NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
How Solar Storms Damage Power Grids (Simple Explanation)
- A CME slams into Earth’s magnetic field
- The magnetic field rapidly fluctuates
- These changes induce electric currents in long conductors on the ground
- Transformers are designed for alternating current and are stressed by these geomagnetically induced currents
- Overheating and internal damage can permanently disable them
Unlike a normal outage, this is not just flipping breakers back on. It can mean replacing physical hardware.
Detailed shot of an EHV transformer (500+ kV range) with radiator banks, large porcelain bushings, and auxiliary equipment, installed in an open-air U.S. substation environment:
Would a Carrington-Level Storm Cause a Global Blackout?
No, not everywhere at once.
But multiple continents could experience major, long-duration outages at the same time.
The effects depend heavily on geography, grid design, and local infrastructure.
1️⃣ Latitude Matters (Big Time)
Geomagnetic storms hit hardest at higher geomagnetic latitudes, closer to the auroral zones.
Higher Risk Regions
- Canada
- Northern United States
- Northern Europe (UK, Scandinavia, Germany)
- Russia
Lower Risk (but not immune)
- Southern U.S.
- Southern Europe
- Much of Africa
- Southeast Asia
Even during the 1859 event, auroras reached the tropics, but grid damage severity still scales with latitude.
2️⃣ Grid Design Matters
Some grids are simply more vulnerable:
| Factor | Higher Risk | Lower Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Long transmission lines | ✔ | |
| High-latitude location | ✔ | |
| Older transformer designs | ✔ | |
| Shorter, more regional grids | ✔ | |
| Series capacitors / protection | ✔ |
North America and parts of Europe have very long interconnected transmission networks, which makes them efficient, but also better “antennas” for geomagnetic currents.
3️⃣ Not All Transformers Would Fail
A key point people miss:
A solar storm does not fry every transformer.
Instead, you get:
- Some regions lose critical EHV transformers
- Other areas only see temporary instability
- Some areas experience minimal damage
This creates a patchwork outage pattern
Think:
Some cities dark for months
Others cycling on and off
Some regions mostly okay
Even if the damage is regional, modern interdependence spreads the impact.
Example Cascades
- A major North American outage → manufacturing halts → global supply shortages
- GPS disruption → worldwide aviation delays
- Satellite damage → communication degradation everywhere
- Financial markets disrupted across continents
So while the electrical failure wouldn’t be worldwide, the economic and technological ripple effects would be.
Map of United States electricity transmission grid:
How to Prepare for a Major Solar Storm
A Carrington-level solar storm would likely cause severe, long-duration blackouts in some regions of the world, while others experience partial or shorter disruptions. But because modern systems are globally interconnected, the ripple effects would be felt worldwide.
The true scale of preparation for an event like this is enormous. Geographic location plays a major role, influencing both the severity of the impacts and the types of preparations that make sense beforehand. While the overall likelihood of such an event is low in the grand scheme, its potential scope and consequences would be unlike any disaster experienced in modern times.
Think of Food, Water, Shelter, Security. Those will be your priorities. Take it as far as your threshold tolerance allows. And then add some more.
Practical preparedness steps include:
- Backup power (generator or solar battery power station)
- Stored water (well pumps and treatment plants may not run)
- Shelf-stable food
- Battery-powered lighting
- Printed maps and offline information
- Basic medical supplies
- Cash for short-term disruptions
- Protecting small electronics in simple Faraday shielding
Preparedness for a solar storm overlaps heavily with preparation for any long-duration power outage.
Timeline Of Events Following A Long Term Grid Down Catastrophe
In the Blink of an Eye
In 1859, the Sun briefly turned the night sky into day and set telegraph systems on fire.
Today, we are far more advanced, and far more dependent.
A Carrington-level solar storm would not end civilization. But it could change daily life in profound ways, very quickly. That’s putting it mildly.
All it takes is one blast from the Sun…
…in the blink of an eye.
Solar Superstorm FAQ
Electronics that are plugged into the grid during severe voltage disturbances could be damaged by power surges or instability.
Most gasoline and diesel vehicles would likely still run. Cars (with exception of plugged-in electric vehicles) are not connected to long conductors like power lines, which is where geomagnetically induced currents build up. That said, some modern vehicles with sensitive electronics could experience issues
We would likely have hours to possibly a day of warning, depending on the type of solar eruption. Solar flares arrive at Earth in about 8 minutes (speed of light), but the more damaging part, the coronal mass ejection (CME), takes longer.
Not exactly. An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from a nuclear detonation produces very fast, intense electrical spikes that can damage small electronics directly. A solar storm produces slow, powerful geomagnetic disturbances that mainly threaten large power grid components, especially transformers. The end result (long-term power outages) could look similar, but the physical mechanisms are different.
They are rare, but not impossible. Scientific estimates suggest storms of similar magnitude may occur roughly once every 100 to 200 years. Smaller but still disruptive solar storms happen more frequently.
At high risk today is the interconnected network of EHV transformers (Extra-High-Voltage, 345,000 volts and above) spread around the grid, which if damaged, would literally take years to replace due to their highly specialized manufacture (mostly manufactured in India and China). To order a single replacement EHV transformer today, takes 1 or more years to delivery. After a grid meltdown, delivery times, if at all, would be extraordinary…
Map of EHV transformer locations in the United States:
Why do you keep putting images of Lord Kelvin when referencing Carrington? They are two different people and did not agree. Kelvin believed the sun to be isotropic, Carrington proved it wasn’t. Stop using the wrong images!
The greatest damage that would be done has not been discussed here. The electrical wires in everyone’s home is connected to the grid wires. The electrical voltage spikes in the home wires would would cause house fires that would burn your home down. Whole communities could go up in smoke.
This is an excellent thread and I am glad to see regular posts again. This site is a daily read for me and I keep checking back. Thank you. I watch Space Weather News daily. I think the vast population has no clue of the potentials.
For those with the guts to know their future, go to YouTube for SpaceWeatherNews (SO) and watch The Disaster Cycle – The Evidence (1:42:27). What you will see is science catching up to what the Bible says will happen soon. It is said that once judgement starts, it can’t be stopped. As per the evidence of world events, we are under judgement. Most don’t want to face the truth. The ONLY way to survive what is coming is with Jesus. HE will walk you into eternity… and that is true survival. Do you have the ears to hear and the eyes to see?
I ran across an article today explaining in detail why replacing large transformers takes so much time. Very interesting also for EMP nerds. frontiermap (dot) substack (dot) com/p/the-us-imports-82-of-its-large-power