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Showing posts with label Carrington Event. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carrington Event. Show all posts

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Preparing for the next big solar storm


In mid 2011, the Sun is once again on the eve of solar cycle intensity lower than usual, at least that's what the forecasters say. The "Carrington Event" held in 1859 and received the name in honor of astronomer Richard Carrington who witnessed the solar flare that caused it reminds us that strong storms can occur even when the sun is going through a cycle nominally weak.
In 1859, the most serious consequences were a day or two without telegraphic messages and sky watchers puzzled many tropical islands.
But in 2011, the situation would be much more serious. The spate of blackouts, spread across continents by the power lines for long distance, it could take weeks or even months, the time needed by engineers to repair the damaged transformers.