
Did you know the most powerful geomagnetic storm of the past 500 years occurred in 1859? This phenomena would later be known as the Carrington Event. Apart from the storm’s sheer intensity, why was it significant and what lessons can we learn from the Carrington Event... now and into the future.
4ZZZ's Toni Pankaluic spoke with Professor Jonti Horner, an Astronomer from the University of Southern Queensland.
For a deep dive...
Jonti recommends checking out the SpaceWeather website, where you can observe current conditions outside Earth. NASA also has comprehensive programs monitoring weather out in the cosmos.
You can read up on this news article (dated October 8, 1909) about a Perth goldminer’s first-hand observations during the Carrington Event. Or check out this Telegraph article (dated September 21, 2023) on the risks of potential solar storms.
Here's a fascinating research paper submitted to the Council of European Union called 'Solar Storms: A New Challenge on the Horizon?'.

Your 11am Zedlines update with Ash, Angela and Maddie.

Your 10am Zedlines with Calani and Konrad

Your 9am Zedlines with Angela, Ash and Maddie

Your 8am Zedlines with Calani and Konrad

Your 11AM Zedlines with Liv, Charlie, Annabel and Jasper

Your 8am Zedlines with Liv, Charlie, Annabel and Jasper.

Your 11am Zedlines with Megan, Anastasia, and Sydney

Your 10AM Zedlines with Mario and Aliyah

Your 9am Zedlines with Sydney, Meghan and Anastasia

Your 8am Zedlines with Mario and Aliyah

Your final 11AM Zedlines with the Summer 2026 Friday Zedliners, read by Ava, Ethan and Yuchen (Image via Wikimedia Commons)!

Your 10AM Zedlines with Asha, Dan and Charlie (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Your 9AM Zedlines with Ava, Ethan and Yuchen (Image via Pexels).

Your 8AM Zedlines with Asha, Charlie and Dan (Image via Flickr).

Your 10AM Zedlines with Sarah, Vivek, Eden and HG
IMG: From wikimedia under CC3.0

Your 9AM Zedlines with Alec, Stella, Em, and Vivek
IMG: From wikimedia under CC4.0

Your 8AM Zedlines with Sarah, Stella, Alec, and Em
IMG: Supplied

Your 11AM Zedlines with Georgia and Cass

Your 10AM Zedlines with Cass and Lachlan

Your 9AM Zedlines with Cass and Georgie

Your 8AM Zedlines with Georgie and Lachlan.

Your 11AM Zedlines with Clementine and Livinia

Your 10AM Zedlines with Clementine and Livinia

Your 8AM Zedlines with Clementine and Livinia

Your 11AM Zedlines with Ava, Charlie and Yuchen! (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Your 10AM Zedlines with Asha, Dan and Ethan! (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Your 9AM Zedlines with Ava, Charlie and Yuchen! (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Your 8AM Zedlines with Asha, Dan and Ethan! (Image via Wikimedia Commons)