Over 160 years ago, the Carrington Event, the largest recorded solar storm, illuminated skies worldwide. In the absence of advanced technology in 1859, New Zealand largely evaded its disruptive impacts. Named after British astronomer Richard Carrington, the event, occurring from August to September, sent waves of charged solar particles into Earth’s atmosphere, generating auroras visible from locales as distant as Chile and Cuba. While in more technologically developed regions telegraph systems suffered severe disruptions, New Zealanders simply observed brilliant auroras, likened by physics professor Craig Rodger to experiences of Elizabethan or prehistoric observers facing peculiar natural phenomena.
Contemporary accounts in the Taranaki Herald described the auroras as a fading, quivering light that eventually erupted into a “magnificent flood of rosy and half fiery light.” However, understanding of such phenomena was limited. Mid-19th-century thought, as published in newspapers like the Taranaki Herald, erroneously attributed auroras to the redistribution of electricity from the poles to the equator.
During the Carrington Event, New Zealand lacked the telegraphic infrastructure that was being profoundly affected elsewhere. This absence meant the nation missed the technological havoc experienced internationally. It was several decades before telegraph systems and power lines were introduced in New Zealand.
In modern times, the risks posed by solar storms extend to the disruption of vital infrastructure, including power grids and communication systems. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has devised plans to mitigate potential impacts. Their strategies include preemptive power shutdowns to safeguard equipment and clear guidance for the public on emergency preparedness, particularly given the sun’s current solar maximum phase, increasing the likelihood of such storms.
As NEMA has emphasized, public awareness of these threats remains low. In response to the heightened solar activity, they recommend citizens stock essentials and prepare for possible extended outages. While natural marvels like the aurora australis may captivate observers, the underlying threats of celestial events like the Carrington Event persist, underscoring the need for vigilance in the era of digital reliance.
