Blast from the Past: Prepare for Solar Flares

In 1859, before global violence and warfare of the Twentieth century wrought havoc around the world, another pseudo-apocalyptic event took place in the form of a colossal solar storm. This solar storm, known as the Carrington Event, is the largest flare recorded to date. Did you know that there’s a chance that our planet could be struck by a solar flare of this magnitude again in the near future, and that its results could spell the end for society as we know it?

A solar flare emits a vicious geomagnetic storm, and when it slams into the Earth’s magnetosphere, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) ravages the planet. This effectively disables all electronics on Earth. The 1859 Carrington Event is particularly known for the massive auroras it produced, which could be seen across the globe. Imagine an apocalyptic image of the world growing dark, and the only light comes from immense glowing lights in the sky. One of the most terrifying eye-witness accounts of this phenomenon, published in the Charleston Mercury, came from a woman on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina:

The eastern sky appeared of a blood red color. It seemed brightest exactly in the east, as though the full moon, or rather the sun, were about to rise. It extended almost to the zenith. The whole island was illuminated. The sea reflected the phenomenon, and no one could look at it without thinking of the passage in the Bible which says, ‘the sea was turned to blood.’ The shells on the beach, reflecting light, resembled coals of fire.

According to History.com, the damage dealt by the 1859 solar storm was minimal, but it did cause widespread confusion:

The sky was so crimson that many who saw it believed that neighboring locales were on fire. Americans in the South were particularly startled by the northern lights, which migrated so close to the equator that they were seen in Cuba and Jamaica. Elsewhere, however, there appeared to be genuine confusion. In Abbeville, South Carolina, masons awoke and began to lay bricks at their job site until they realized the hour and returned to bed. In Bealeton, Virginia, larks were stirred from their sleep at 1 a.m. and began to warble.

While it disturbed natural forces around the world, there was practically no electronic technology in 1859, save the telegraph. Still, the solar flare brought down telegraph systems on a global scale, as reported by both North American and European countries. There were reports of “streams of fire” erupting from the circuits, and telegraph paper spontaneously combusting.

Can you imagine what would happen if such a catastrophe were to happen today? Our modern society, which relies heavily on technology for survival, would be thrown into chaos. Planes would fall from the sky, sporting a high fatality rate. Nuclear power plants would fail and cause meltdowns.

In the event of an apocalyptic solar flare, your business might not be the first thing on your mind; but, you should still consider what it will take to get it up and running in the wake of such destruction. The economy will likely collapse underneath the pressure of failed systems, giving your business an opportunity to start fresh, so to speak, using your backup up data… if you have it.

According to NASA, there is an estimated 12 percent chance that such an event will occur between now and 2022. However, a solar flare isn’t the only natural disaster which could spell the end for your business. There are tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes, all of which happen more than 12 percent of the time. Your best bet to take on natural disasters is with Computerware’s Backup and Disaster Recovery solution (BDR).

Once communications have been restored, your BDR solution can protect the future of your business. The information of your company’s network will be stored in a secure data center. We’ll work with you to get your business back up and running at optimal efficiency (provided we all survive the solar flare and the nuclear fallout).

To find out how your business can rise from the ashes of solar destruction, give Computerware a call at (703) 821-8200.