July 2012 solar storm
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On July 23, 2012 at 02:08 UTC, a solar storm involving an unusually large and strong coronal mass ejection occurred. It missed Earth by a margin of roughly nine days, as the Sun's equator rotates arou
The coronal mass ejection, as photographed by the STEREO-A COR2 coronagraph. The white circle in the middle of the black disc represents the location and size of the Sun.
Carrington Event
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The Carrington Event was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history, peaking on 1–2 September 1859 during solar cycle 10. It created strong auroral displays that were reported globally and
July 2012 solar storm
…the outburst was thus not pointed directly towards Earth at that time. The strength of the eruption has been predicted to be comparable to the 1859 Carrington Event that caused damage to electrical equipment worldwide, which at that time consisted mostly of telegraph systems. Had it hit Earth, it is believed that…
Sunspots of 1 September 1859, as sketched by Richard Carrington. A and B mark the initial positions of an intensely bright event, which moved over the course of five minutes to C and D before disappearing.
Aurora during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on 24 May 2010, taken from the International Space Station