Title: Starfish Prime: The Thermonuclear Bomb That Created an Artificial Geomagnetic Storm and Spectacular Auroras
Date: July 12, 1962
Photograph: Courtesy of US Govt. Defense Threat Reduction Agency/Wikimedia Commons
On the night of July 9, 1962, an extraordinary event occurred over the Pacific Ocean, captivating the attention of people across Hawaii. On this fateful evening, a dazzling display of the aurora illuminated the sky, a phenomenon rarely seen so far south. However, this ethereal spectacle wasn’t the result of the sun’s natural magnetic activity; it was unleashed by the detonation of a thermonuclear bomb known as Starfish Prime.
The United States has conducted numerous nuclear tests since the first atomic bomb detonation in 1945. While many were carried out underground or within Earth’s atmosphere, the Starfish Prime explosion broke the mold. With a code name befitting its significance, the bomb was detonated 250 miles above the Earth’s surface, similar in altitude to the International Space Station.
The immense burst of radiation and electromagnetic particles emitted by the blast created an artificial geomagnetic storm, triggering a remarkable human-made aurora. The stunning light show, which lasted approximately seven minutes, left an eerie glow in the sky for nearly four hours. Astonishingly, reports emerged from as far away as New Zealand, highlighting the vast reach of this bomb-induced aurora.
Hawaii, in particular, felt the effects of the explosion beyond the mesmerizing light display. A nuclear bomb detonation results in an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), a phenomenon that occurred during Starfish Prime. The EMP was powerful enough to knock out streetlights on Oahu, causing a temporary radio blackout and rendering telephones inoperable. These effects mimic those observed during exceptionally intense geomagnetic storms triggered by the sun’s activity.
Coincidentally, on March 13, 1989, Quebec, Canada, experienced a significant power blackout due to a geomagnetic storm, leaving millions of residents without electricity for 12 hours. The same storm also disrupted power grids across the United States, with over 200 reported problems, although a national blackout was narrowly avoided. Cuba even witnessed an unexpected outburst of aurora caused by this cosmic event.
The Starfish Prime explosion and subsequent artificial geomagnetic storm have shed light on the remarkable influence of nuclear bombs on Earth’s magnetic field. Despite its immense destructive power, this particular test left a lasting impression not only in the sky but also on the infrastructure of Hawaii. The events of July 9, 1962, serve as a reminder of the awe-inspiring yet potentially disruptive forces that exist within our world and beyond.