The Carrington Event of 1859: A Solar Storm’s Impact Then and Now 2025

Modern Technology’s Vulnerability to Solar Storms

Unlike the simpler technologies of 1859, today’s world depends heavily on sophisticated infrastructure, making us much more susceptible to solar storms. Electricity grids, satellite communications, the Internet, and other electromagnetic systems could all face devastation if another Carrington-like event were to strike unexpectedly.

Power Grids and Blackouts

A major solar storm poses a significant threat to power grids. Geomagnetic currents can overload transformers and critical components, causing overheating and failure. In 1989, a lesser solar storm caused a 9-hour blackout for 6 million people in Quebec, Canada. A modern Carrington Event could result in continent-wide blackouts lasting for weeks or even months.

Such an event would have devastating consequences, disrupting food distribution, water purification, healthcare, and transportation. The economic cost of such an outage would be astronomical, with estimates in the trillions of dollars.

Satellite and GPS Disruption

CMEs can disrupt satellites, causing essential services such as communication, weather monitoring, and navigation failures. High-energy particles can damage the electronics in satellites, potentially leading to permanent failure.

GPS systems, crucial for aviation, shipping, and personal navigation apps, could also be disrupted, resulting in errors or even system-wide failures with severe consequences for civilian and military operations alike.

Internet and Wireless Communications

Solar storms could affect the undersea cables that carry much of the world’s Internet traffic. While fibre-optic cables are immune to solar storms, the repeaters along the wires could be damaged by electric currents, leading to long-term global Internet outages.

Wireless systems, such as mobile phones and radio signals, could also be impacted. The charged ionosphere created during solar storms interferes with radio signals, potentially halting aviation, maritime services, and emergency operations.