The Day the Sky Burned

ISBN-13: 9783565207121 / Angielski / Miękka / 112 str.

George Spark

Opis

"The Day the Sky Burned - The solar storm that melted the telegraphs" investigates the Carrington Event of 1859, the most powerful geomagnetic storm on record. A massive solar flare hit Earth, causing auroras so bright that miners in the Rockies woke up at 1 AM thinking it was morning. Birds began to sing, and people could read newspapers by the light of the sky.Science historian George Spark details the chaos in the telegraph offices (the "internet" of the time). The wires overloaded with induced current. Telegraph machines threw sparks, papers caught fire, and operators received electric shocks. Some could even send messages with their batteries disconnected, powered solely by the auroral current."The Day the Sky Burned" is a warning for the digital age. It asks: What would happen if a Carrington-level event hit today's delicate grid of satellites, GPS, and servers? It reminds us that our modern technology exists at the mercy of the sun.

The true story of the 1859 solar storm that set telegraphs on fire and what it means for our modern, electrified world.