Solar storms: more dangerous than you think. Can we survive another Carrington Event?

On September 1, 1859, astronomer Richard Carrington was observing a huge sunspot. Suddenly, a flash of intense white light burst from the sun's surface. He had become the first eye-witness of a major Coronal Mass Ejection or CME. And it was headed straight for earth.

The show’s own verdict is on its page.