February 14, 2012

When not if

Back in 1859, solar astronomer Richard Carrington saw a very bright flash on the surface of the sun. That next day all hell broke loose. It can happen again -- from Anthony at Watts Up With That:
Homeland Security takes on The Carrington Event
While we worry about future threats like global warming, and present threats like Iran�s escalating nuclear program, the sun�s propensity for belching out monstrous solar flares (like the Carrington event of 1859) could almost instantly create a world without modern conveniences, or even electricity. The sun could literally �bomb us back to the stone age�.

Imagine a world without iPhones, and you�d understand why Homeland security rates New York and Seattle the highest for likelihood of major social unrest. Humans don�t do well in the dark. DHS has taken notice.
Here is an excerpt from an article on the event from NASA:
Just before dawn the next day, skies all over planet Earth erupted in red, green, and purple auroras so brilliant that newspapers could be read as easily as in daylight. Indeed, stunning auroras pulsated even at near tropical latitudes over Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Hawaii.

Even more disconcerting, telegraph systems worldwide went haywire. Spark discharges shocked telegraph operators and set the telegraph paper on fire. Even when telegraphers disconnected the batteries powering the lines, aurora-induced electric currents in the wires still allowed messages to be transmitted.
Anthony then links to a report from The Department of Homeland Security (PDF) Sobering reading -- the key take-home point is that you do not want to be living in a large city and they call out Seattle and New York City as being the two worst ones. Posted by DaveH at February 14, 2012 2:08 PM
Comments
Post a comment









Remember personal info?