A Super Solar Flare
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 15:14
in Astronomy & Space
In September 1859, a solar flare erupted so intense that the explosion itself was visible to the human eye. A ferocious geomagnetic storm ensued in which Northern Lights descended as far south as Cuba, the Bahamas and Hawaii. Meanwhile, telegraph engineers disconnected their batteries and powered communications by electricity from the auroras! Could it happen again?
Read the whole article on Science @ NASA
More from Science @ NASA
Related
- The mouse that roared: pipsqueak star unleashes monster flareMon, 19 May 2008, 12:07:15 EDT
- Solar flare surpriseMon, 15 Dec 2008, 13:57:10 EST
- Lasers are making solar cells competitiveFri, 29 May 2009, 10:24:05 EDT
- Scientists solve 30-year-old aurora borealis mysteryThu, 24 Jul 2008, 14:36:53 EDT
- Common star draws swift attention with unprecedented flareMon, 19 May 2008, 13:35:33 EDT