What else is happening when the aurorae are lighting up our night sky? 

In May this year many were lucky enough to look at the sky and see an amazing display of colour dancing through the night.

The next night Melbourne beaches were lined with people excitedly hoping to witness the colourful display but were only treated to the cold of a Melbourne winter’s night.

The aurora is one of the most well-known effects of Space Weather, but other than predicting what nights we want to stand rugged up on the beach, why do we care? The truth is that space weather is becoming exponentially more important, and we increase our reliance on modern technologies.

The largest space weather event ever recorded was the Carrington event of 1859 where auroras were observed as close to the equator as Hawaii and central America. During the Carrington event, telegraph wires were disrupted throughout North America and Europe. In 1859 people wouldn’t even be able to comprehend the technology of today, and how vital it is to every part of our day. A similar space weather event would have catastrophic consequences.

This talk looks at a history of space weather events and the impacts large space weather events have on our ever-increasing technology.