Observations of Low Latitude Red Aurora in Mexico During the 1859
Carrington Geomagnetic Storm
Abstract
On 1 September 1859, occurred one of the most intense geomagnetic storm
that has been documented in recent history. This storm is known as the
Carrington Event. On the morning September 1st at around 11:15 UT,
Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson observed in England,
independently and for the first time, an intense white light solar
flare. About 17 hours after this solar event, occurred the strongest
geomagnetic perturbation ever recorded as well as a greatly extended red
aurora, which covered unusually low latitudes. The red auroral display
on September 2nd was reported in regions where this kind of phenomena
are very rare, like in Cuba and Hawaii. Until now however, it was not
known to scientists that the low latitude red aurora also registered in
Mexico. At that time, Mexico was in a civil war, and there were very
difficult conditions in which to establish astronomical and magnetic
observatories. Nevertheless, the geomagnetic storm was observed with a
maximum of intensity between 7:00-8:00 UTC and re- ported to a Mexican
newspaper from five different locations (Mexico City, Queretaro,
Guadalajara, Hidalgo, and Guanajuato) and registered also from at least
in two additional sites (Michoacan and San Luis Potosı) in other
historical documents. These records confirm that the Carrington
geomagnetic storm was a global event with planetary repercussions, and
that the Mexican low latitude region is susceptible to significant
effects associated with intense space weather events.