The Carrington Event

Most estimates put the age of our blue planet at ~4.5 billion years. During this time, it has experienced many cataclysmic events on its way to becoming this place we call home. 

Based on current evidence, homo sapiens didn’t show up until all the cataclysmic morphing events had passed, that is, about 300,000 years ago. Put into perspective, this represents ~0.007% of the planet's total lifespan.

Our Sun is expected to last around 10 billion years, but life on our planet may end much earlier—say, in the next 1 to 5 billion years, as the Sun expands into a red giant, essentially baking the Earth and the other inner planets. 

As far as I can tell, these are the facts based on current scientific evidence. The estimates will undoubtedly continue to change as new evidence emerges. However, the uncomfortable truth seems to be that Homo Sapiens come with an expiration date. 

For some, the Bible’s Book of Revelation offers an alternate view. While highly symbolic, believers receive a “get out of jail” card that is preceded by a Letter to the Churches, a Throne Room and Scroll, Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls, Satan-God-Armageddon, ending with a New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem. I guess everything then continues as it has for eternity: the sun never burns up, and everyone still standing holds hands, singing Kumbaya. 

As for the rest of us: the agnostics-atheists-H.G. Wellsian fans out there, booking a ticket on SpaceX or the Enterprise and warp-driving oneself to an exoplanet, may be in our future. Who knows, AGI facilitating teleportation, or some other transport medium, might become commonplace if we don't destroy ourselves in the meantime.

September 2, 1859 

On September 1, 1859, at approximately 11:18 a.m. EDT. Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson independently recorded a coronal mass ejection (solar flare) releasing an estimated 10³⁵ electron volts of energy, equivalent to a 10-megaton nuclear bomb. The resulting geomagnetic storm rippled through space at over 900 miles per second (1,500 km/sec). It traveled the 90 million miles to Earth in ~17.6 hours, where it collided with the Earth’s magnetosphere.  

According to history.com, " That night, telegraph communications around the world began to fail; there were reports of sparks showering from telegraph machines, shocking operators and setting papers ablaze. All over the planet, colorful auroras illuminated the nighttime skies, glowing so brightly that birds began to chirp and laborers started their daily chores, believing the sun had begun rising. 

... The flare spewed electrified gas and subatomic particles toward Earth, and the resulting geomagnetic storm... the largest on record to have struck the planet.” 

Evidence of past major solar storms has been found in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores through the analysis of cosmogenic radionuclides such as beryllium-10 (¹⁰Be), chlorine-36 (³⁶Cl), and carbon-14 (¹⁴C). Scientists measure the concentrations of these isotopes in different ice layers to reconstruct historical solar activity and pinpoint the dates of significant events.

These studies have revealed evidence of past solar storms that occurred around 774-775 AD, 993-994 AD, and 660 BC. The 1859 Carrington Event was twice as big as any other solar storm in the last 500 years.  

A 2008 report from the National Academy of Sciences concluded that if we were to experience another Carrington-type event now, it would cause “extensive social and economic disruptions” due to its impact on power grids, satellite communications, and GPS systems—the potential price tag: between $1 and $2 trillion. 

Solar Maximum 

The sun goes through 11-year activity cycles. 2025 is the year the solar maximum will be at its peak, meaning that there will be a higher frequency of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, increasing the likelihood of a powerful solar storm headed in our direction. 

Fortunately, there are federal and international agencies keeping an eye on space weather and serving as our early warning systems. 

• NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) is the primary source for space weather forecasts and alerts in the U.S.   They provide real-time monitoring and predictions of solar activity, including solar flares and geomagnetic storms.    

• NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), provide valuable data on solar activity.  

• NSF (National Science Foundation): Supports ground-based observatories, such as the National Solar Observatory (NSO). The NSO and especially the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, provide critical ground-based observations of the sun.    

• ESA (European Space Agency): Conducts research and operates satellites that monitor the sun. They contribute to the global effort to understand and predict space weather.     

• ISES (International Space Environment Services): This is a network of space weather centers around the world that collaborate to provide space weather information. It promotes international cooperation in space weather monitoring and forecasting.  

• WMO (World Meteorological Organization): Is involved in coordinating international efforts to monitor and predict various environmental phenomena, including space weather. They work to standardize and share data globally.   

Most of us go about our daily lives, absorbed with all our earthly preoccupations, confident that the sun will always warm and illuminate our world. The prospect of our thermonuclear sun tossing a global-disrupting coronal mass ejection in our direction is not something most of us even know about. I do take some comfort knowing that there are folks at NOAA, NASA, and the NSF who are keeping watch. 

Trump/DOGE Detour 

Here we are, in the middle of Donald-Elon time—chainsawing their way through the federal workforce, including NOAA, the agency involved in weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and ocean research: think disaster preparedness and response.

 Project 2025 describes NOAA as a major contributor to “climate change alarmism” and has called for the dismantling of the agency. 

The following is from their Project 2025 pdf, page 664, “The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should be dismantled and many of its functions eliminated, sent to other agencies, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories.” YIKES! 

And here’s a quote from “Lying Donald” regarding Project 2025, "I have nothing to do with Project 2025. I haven't read it. I don't want to read it purposely. I'm not going to read it.” ... and then he continues bloviating about cutting taxes and creating “a great economy the way he did before.” video YIKES! 

I am stunned that 77,284,118 Americans voted for “the Donald", but heartened knowing that 74,999,166 Americans didn't. Trump now holds the record for the most cumulative popular votes won by any presidential candidate in U.S. history, surpassing Barack Obama.  

In the wake of this past election, we are left with a compliant Congress, a Justice Department prepared to do the Executive’s bidding, and an unelected individual who has been given carte blanche to wield a wrecking ball—no checks and balances, no congressional oversight--chaos. 

While there are marked differences between Donald and Adolf, there are several parallels in strategy between Trump’s 2024 victory and Hitler’s rise to power. Consider the similarities, and beware.

1. Exploiting Economic Discontent  

“Both leaders capitalized on widespread economic anxiety: Trump focused on inflation outpacing wage growth, with 75% of Americans feeling the country was "heading in the wrong direction" economically. His promises to revive manufacturing and cut taxes resonated across demographics. more 

Hitler leveraged Germany’s post-WWI economic collapse and the Great Depression, blaming Jewish people and other minorities for financial instability”. more 

2. Rhetoric Targeting Minorities 

“Dehumanizing language and scapegoating emerged as central tools: 

Trump repeatedly labeled immigrants as "poisoning the blood of our country" and falsely accused Haitian immigrants of "eating pets," mirroring Hitler’s pseudoscientific claims about Jewish people "poisoning" Aryan blood”. 

Hitler framed Jews as subhuman threats to German culture, using similar tactics to justify exclusion and violence. more 

3. Consolidation of Power 

“Both leaders secured sweeping authority after electoral wins: 

Trump’s 2024 victory gave Republicans control of Congress, enabling legislative dominance akin to the Nazi Party’s 1933 coalition with the National Party.”  

Hitler used the Reichstag fire to pass the Enabling Act, granting him unchecked power. Trump’s proposed deportation camps and expanded executive actions reflect a push for centralized control.” more 

4. Propaganda and Cult of Personality 

“Trump relied on MAGA branding, rallies, and social media to amplify his message, while his base displayed unwavering loyalty despite legal controversies. 

Hitler mastered propaganda through rallies, media control, and the mythologized role of the Führer, portraying himself as Germany’s sole savior.” 

I apologize for the detour, but I felt I had to highlight the political-social-cultural "Trump/Musk Event" we are enduring; a period, potentially more devastatingly consequential than any future space weather event we might face. 

Your thoughts, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.