In 1859, an invisible wave crashed into the Earth. Electrons, swept up like so much detritus in the magnetic current, coursed along telegraph wires. When they met an obstacle, like the hand of a telegraph operator, they crashed through it — delivering a sharp shock. Papers in telegraph offices caught fire. Even with batteries disconnected, operators found the giddy subatomic stream could carry their messages over vast distances. Lights danced in the sky. It was the largest solar storm ever recorded. If it happened today, it would jeopardize global telecommunications, knock out orbiting satellites, and threaten to kill astronauts. We'd have some warning; instruments all over the world and in space ...
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