Two massive solar storms appearing four days apart in the late summer of 1859 gave “the week the sun touched the earth” its name. The first one reached here Aug. 28, and the second one Sept. 1.

No solar superstorm as powerful as the 1859 event has occurred since, so it is difficult to calculate what impact a comparable storm might have on today’s more wired world.

The aurora borealis is common in the Arctic and occasionally visible at lower latitudes during times of high solar activity. During the 1859 solar storm, it was visible in the tropics.

The solar storm of 1859 — which ice core samples from Antarctica proved was twice as big as any other solar storm in the last 500 years — is now known as the Carrington Event in his honor.

Despite the 150 million kilometers that separate it from the Earth, the sun does more than just light our way: it also impacts our electricity networks, and even our transport.

Scientists have uncovered the strongest solar storm ever recorded, striking Earth in 12350 BC — 500 times stronger than any modern event.

A strong solar storm is headed to Earth and this could cause colorful aurora displays in parts of the United States.

That solar storm was the most powerful one ever recorded. The next strongest was the 1859 Carrington Event. It was spurred by a huge solar flare that triggered a powerful geomagnetic storm on Earth.

What was the 1859 Carrington Event? As a massive solar flare, this event disrupted global telegraph systems and caused visible auroras all over the world.

WASHINGTON — The northern lights could be visible in several states Tuesday night as a solar storm is predicted to bring dazzling displays to the northern United States. The aurora borealis is ...

GPS positions were off by up to 230 feet during the Gannon Solar Storm in May 2024 in a disruption that lasted for up to two days, a new study has revealed.

In 1859, a severe solar storm triggered auroras as far south as Hawaii and caught telegraph lines on fire in a rare event.