It's not the Carrington Event…Not yet anyway. But theCoronahas sent a present your way and it hits this weekend
https://news.sky.com/story/cobra-could-power-on-earth-really-be-wiped-out-by-a-solar-storm-11905286
Often associated with solar flares arecoronal mass ejections- when you have these huge explosions, they release huge amounts of very hot gas called the solar wind, which hits the Earth. And that's what causes the geomagnetic storm. This is what would cause a power blackout."
Has this ever happened?
It happens more frequently than most would be aware of - just not on a large scale. The sun's magnetic field goes through a solar cycle approximately every 11 years. During the height of the cycle, solar flares and coronal mass ejections increase, with the activity having possible effects on Earth.
The solar storms can cause lights in the sky, called aurora - hence we see the Northern Lights - but can also affect electricity grids and satellites.
"We're right at the minimum of the solar cycle at the moment, so the sun's not being active at all," says Dr Ciaran Beggan, a geophysicist for the British Geological Survey. "But in about three to five years' time, the sun will start getting more and more active.
"We could be getting geomagnetic storms every couple of weeks. But it's only really the big ones that would be visible."