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The 'Perfect Space Storm' Of 1859

Posted by timothy on from the market-disruption dept.

Polyploid Pimp writes "Bruce Tsurutani of JPL recently published a paper on the 'perfect space storm' of 1859. Apparently, this solar superstorm was so massive that it knocked out telegraphs across the Northern Hemisphere, and the aurora borealis could be seen as far south as Hawaii, Havana, and Rome. Among other interesting notes, the amount of sunlight produced in the region of this solar flare actually doubled! Although the article does not discuss in detail the effects of a solar storm of this size on our current technologies, we can all imagine (maybe something like Escape from L.A.?)"

8 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Should be interesting by jamesjw · · Score: 4, Interesting


    Should be interesting to see what happens when the next large barrage of solar winds and large EM fields hit, as everyone may recall a few years ago with one storm a large number of pager satellites and base stations were disrupted, something bigger could certainly bring down large amounts of sattelite based internet infastructure and play havoc with ground based equipment (most notibly WiFi networks.)

    Should we be testing equipment now to minimise the unknown impact of such a natural event?

    -- Jim.

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    -- If at first you don't succeed, lie!
    1. Re:Should be interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      NASA and the airline industry have run extensive tests on the subject.

      At the same time, it's almost like testing for massive floods, earthquakes, fires, and other dieasters. Yeah, it'd be bad if it happens. If it happens. Fortunately these events are rare. We just deal with them when they happen.

  2. Affect on computer systems by treat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I saw several highly improbable hardware failures over the past week, particularly on the 22nd.

    What is the likelyhood that this is related to recent unusual solar activity, as opposed to being a simple coincidence?

    1. Re:Affect on computer systems by freeweed · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I saw several highly improbable hardware failures over the past week, particularly on the 22nd.

      What is the likelyhood that this is related to recent unusual solar activity, as opposed to being a simple coincidence?

      Seeing as the flare/storm would take a couple of days to reach the Earth, I'd say pretty much 100% that it was a simple conincidence.

      Besides, what the article talks about is not an Electro-Magnetic Pulse type effect, where all electronic systems are affected. It's mostly orbiting electronics, and large ground-based systems such as power grids that get hit. I imagine because the large scale infrastructure such as kilometres of power lines turn into huge antennas for this stuff. (IANAP, in case you can't tell :)

      --
      Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
  3. Solar Activity and Humans by ch-chuck · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm really starting to thing there is a close connection between solar activity and economic patterns - all the recessions I can remember, 80-81, 91-92, 2000-2002 have all occured after the peak of a sunspot cycle. What happened after this storm of 1859: The US Civil War.

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    try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
    1. Re:Solar Activity and Humans by Mod+Me+God · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Most US recessions of the last 200 years have started in the first 2 years of their decade.

      Do sun spots also follow a 10 year cycle?

      [Not that I necessarily justify economic technical analysis... it just seems to purvey].

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  4. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  5. an answer to a question by CAIMLAS · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Hrm, interesting. I've been feeling really distracted for the last couple of days - unable to concentrate and the like. I've heard that this is sometimes the effect of solar activity in people that are sensitive to their environment (dusts, molds, odors, light, and the like), as I am.

    Additionally, it explains why I've been noticing a significant number of 500 errors while browsing the web (particularly slashdot). Anyone else notice this over the last couple days? Any flakey internet connectivity? My connection has been down every couple minutes for the last week or so.

    On the upside, when I get calls from clients, I can now honestly tell them that solar flares are causing the problem. :)

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