Witnessing a dazzling display of the Northern Lights with vivid sheets of colour dancing across the night sky is a real treat for those lucky enough to be in the right place at just the right time.
But the charged particles hurled into space by our tempestuous Sun - the particles that create the aurora borealis - can also unleash very rare but extremely disruptive events here on Earth.
Electricity supplies, satellites and air travel can all be affected by the most violent solar storms.
Recently, 6,000 planes were grounded by Airbus, requiring a software update after one of their planes experienced a sudden drop in altitude in October thought to be caused by interference from intense solar radiation.
This kind of disruption is something that scientists and governments are actively researching and planning for.
What damage can solar storms cause?
The UK government publishes The National Risk Register - a list of serious hazards that could affect the country at some point in the future.
It catalogues the sorts of nightmare scenarios that give politicians sleepless nights. Alongside risks such as nuclear incidents, terrorist attacks and outbreaks of disease sits the threat of severe space weather.
Much of the planning for severe space weather is based on the Carrington Event of 1859, the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history. This created rapid variations in the Earth's magnetic field that caused electricity to be generated in long wires. Telegraphed operators suffered electric shocks, pylons sparked, and conversations between operators could continue while batteries were disconnected.
But with today's advanced technologies, the effects of a similar event would be far more disruptive.
Satellites can be severely affected; strong solar storms can cause the Earth's atmosphere to expand into space, increasing drag on satellites, which may slow down so much that some deorbit and fall back to Earth. In February 2022, a solar storm led to the loss of 38 satellites.
Radio communications can be greatly impacted, with GPS systems disrupted for days, potentially causing gridlock in cities. Air travel would also be at risk; for example, on 30 October 2025, a JetBlue Airlines Airbus lost altitude unexpectedly, injuring passengers due to corrupted data from space weather.
Electricity grids can also fail, causing power cuts. In March 1989, Quebec experienced a major blackout due to space weather, leaving millions without electricity.
What are the chances of another Carrington event?
In July 2012, a Carrington-class event narrowly missed the Earth. Research indicates that we could face events larger than the Carrington Event, with some evidence pointing to potential solar storms ten times more intense.
Such dangers serve as a reminder that modern society must be prepared for the beautiful unpredictability of solar events.
