These Two Celestial Events Make You Realize How Small We Are

We humans are so arrogant. We can’t control the turmoil between nations. Yet, we think we can maintain the climate, all on the pretext that we’re on the verge of catastrophic climate change. This is even though predictions made have not eventuated. We’re twisting ourselves into knots, getting rid of reliable fuel to get to net zero. As many predict, more power blackouts will be on the horizon in countries like Australia.

We are ignoring the most influential aspect of our climate: the heavenly bodies, most notably, the sun. Even the moon’s gravitational pull tremendously influences our planet and the sun to create tidal shifts along our coastlines. In some places, they are pretty dramatic, such as along the coast of this Fijian island. At high tide, the water comes right up to the rock ledge.

Last month we were in Texas and had a view of the total eclipse of the sun.

Watching this spectacle makes you realize how puny we are compared to the universe. For many, a total eclipse is a mystical experience. It makes you realize there is a magnificence beyond our limited earthly domain.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, we had an event that could have been catastrophic. The sun goes through an 11-year sunspot cycle. At its maximum—which we are nearing— the sunspots, which are intense magnetic fields, create solar flares. These can be accompanied by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are essentially plasma consisting of charged particles thrown off the sun that travel towards the earth. When they interact with the upper atmosphere—the ionosphere—the result is the light display known as the Aurora Borealis or Aurora Australis.

I remember from my childhood in the darkness of the Canadian countryside, the Aurora dancing and shimmering like curtains in the night sky.

While the Auroras are beautiful, and we marvel at them, they can portend great danger.

The plasma during solar storms is projected in many directions and with varying intensities, some of which collide with the Earth. The other factor is the state of the Earth’s magnetic field. This field, which is protective of our planet, fluctuates at various times, and scientists are concerned because, at the moment, it is diminishing 10 times faster than previously thought. 

On May 11, the sun’s storm was classified as a G5, the most severe solar storm, and while it did knock out some services, we were very fortunate. In 1989, a solar storm knocked out power for millions in the Province of Quebec.

In 1859, what is known as the Carrington Event occurred. This is the most intense solar storm ever recorded. The plasma particles struck the Earth several hours after a massive solar flare erupted. It caused widespread disruption of telegraph systems, the only mode of communication in those days. Operators received electric shocks, and the aurora borealis was seen as far south as the tropics.

Today, the level of computer and electronic sophistication is such that everything depends on these modern-day systems. The grid is susceptible to a catastrophic breakdown. Since everything from food distribution to fuel supplies and heating our homes depends on a sturdy and reliable grid, the disaster envisioned could be beyond belief.

It would behoove those in power to take action to fortify our electrical grids and devise computer systems that can resist such an event as much as possible. However, all the resources are being directed at climate change to the tune of trillions of dollars. Their priorities are all askew.

These intense storms have occurred throughout the planet’s history; the problem is that our technology is our vulnerability. Can you imagine having no access to money, transport, or electricity? It would undoubtedly cull the human population.

We know this will happen again and may not be so lucky next time. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when”. It’s time to be humble to the power of the cosmos and realize we are pretty small in the grand scheme of things.