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A study using 19th-century magnetometer registers from the Trivandrum Astronomical Observatory has reconstructed a multi-phase chronology of the 1859 Carrington storm; it was published in Astrophysics and Space Science on 17 September 2026.
It was led by R. Jayakrishnan, Head of the Department of Physics at the University of Kerala and Honorary Director of the observatory, with co-authors Fazil C.K. and Ajesh A.
The records show geomagnetic disturbances from coronal mass ejection impacts on 16 and 29 August 1859, before the main storm of 2 September, and weaker disturbances on 5, 13 and 15 September.
The 29 August and 2 September events were of comparable size, with the horizontal magnetic field falling by about 1851 nT and about 1926 nT respectively - making the earlier one a fresh benchmark for pre-Carrington activity.
The bifilar magnetometer logs were taken to Scotland in the 1870s by John Allan Broun, a former director, and were entrusted to the National Library of Scotland in 2010.
A coronal mass ejection impact registers as a geomagnetic disturbance in the Trivandrum data
A major disturbance, with the horizontal field falling about 1851 nT - close in size to the main storm
Richard Carrington observes a white-light solar flare from England
The main Carrington storm, with the horizontal field falling about 1926 nT
Weaker disturbances from further CMEs or high-speed solar wind streams
John Allan Broun takes the observatory's magnetic registers to Scotland
The registers are entrusted to the National Library of Scotland
Anna Szolucha of Jagiellonian University visits Trivandrum, aiding the rediscovery
The multi-phase chronology is published in Astrophysics and Space Science
A geomagnetic storm is a disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere caused by solar material - usually a coronal mass ejection - striking it. Its severity is read from how far the horizontal component of the magnetic field drops, measured in nanotesla.
Simple Analogy: A gust of solar wind shaking Earth's magnetic shield the way wind bends a tent.
One of India's oldest observatories, founded 1836 and now run by the University of Kerala; kept continuous magnetic and meteorological registers from the 19th century
Holds the Trivandrum magnetic registers, entrusted to it in 2010 after they passed through the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Edinburgh
GS Paper 3 > Science and Technology: space weather, solar activity and its effect on satellites, navigation and power grids
General Awareness > Science and Indian institutions
If a major solar storm (solar flare) reaches the Earth, which of the following are the possible effects on the Earth? 1. GPS and navigation systems could fail. 2. Tsunamis could occur at equatorial regions. 3. Power grids could be damaged. 4. Intense auroras could occur over much of the Earth. 5. Forest fires could take place over much of the planet. 6. Orbits of the satellites could be disturbed. 7. Shortwave radio communication of the aircraft flying over polar regions could be interrupted. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 only
A large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's corona; a CME striking Earth's magnetosphere is the usual cause of a major geomagnetic storm.
A 19th-century instrument suspending a magnet on two threads to record changes in the horizontal component of Earth's magnetic field.
The unit in which changes in Earth's magnetic field are measured; the 2 September 1859 drop was about 1926 nT at Trivandrum.