One of the site’s Users, Guy, reminded me of this story. I saw it the other day, intended to post it and then got distracted by other projects.
There was an X-14 class Solar Flare and CME on July 23. Fortunately it was on the far side of the sun and only observed by satellites. The Carrington Event is estimated to have been in the X15+ range. That’s the one that set telegraph lines on fire and cause Auroras seen almost to the Equator.
Such an event today would likely destroy or extensively damage power grids worldwide requiring years if not decades to repair… if such repair was even possible. In all likelihood such an event would destroy the world’s technological and industrial infrastructure permanently requiring the survivors to rebuild from scratch.
The Sunspot which produced that event will be rotating around to face Earth late next week or early the following week.
The Librarian