In September 1859, miners following the Colorado gold rush woke up to another sunny day. Or so they thought. To their surprise, they soon discovered it was actually 1am and the sky wasn't lit by the sun, but rather by brilliant drapes of light. The blazing glow was a solar storm— the largest in recorded history. So what exactly is a solar storm? Fabio Paccuci explains this astrophysical phenomena. [Directed by Nick Hilditch, narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott].

Fabio Pacucci: Why the Sun could crash your internet

Why the Sun could crash your internet

In 1859, the largest solar storm recorded turned night into day, revealing the sun's power to disrupt earthly technologies.

Strong solar storms can turn auroras worldwide into a stunning light show, but also threaten our electrical infrastructure.

Advances in forecasting and protective measures against solar storms aim to shield our tech-reliant world from cosmic threats.