The strongest geomagnetic storm on record is the Carrington Event of August-September 1859, named after British astronomer Richard Carrington who witnessed the instigating solar flare with his unaided eye while he was projecting an image of the sun on a white screen. Geomagnetic activity triggered by the explosion electrified telegraph lines, shocking technicians and setting their telegraph papers on fire; Northern Lights spread as far south as Cuba and Hawaii; auroras over the Rocky Mountains were so bright, the glow woke campers who began preparing breakfast because they thought it was morning. Best estimates rank the Carrington Event as 50% or more stronger than the superstorm of May 1921.
Here's a good story from Wired:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/telegraphs-ran-on-electric-air-in-crazy-magnetic-storm-150-years-ago/
I liked the bit about the telegraph operators disconnecting their batteries and continuing to work on "aurora power"!
Nostalgia Time
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A Trip Back in Time. My middle son, Tim and his lovely Amy visited
yesterday as we celebrated the 4th of July. Several visits ago, Tim
mentioned some items...
12 hours ago
Here comes the sun and I say....... it's all right. Sun, sun, sun .....here it comes.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Left Coast in the 60's and heavy rosin snorting.....
73.......Steve Smith WB6TNL