A historical mystery about one of the earliest encounters between space weather and electrical technology has been resolved nearly two centuries later.
A train that left Exeter 16 minutes late in the mid-1800s has helped scientists correct a nearly two-century-old mistake in the history of space weather. Researchers tracing the incident through railway records, newspapers, solar observations, auroral reports, and geomagnetic measurements found that the disruption almost certainly occurred in 1848, not 1841 as long believed.
The correction changes the chronology of the earliest known cases in which activity from the Sun interfered with electrical technology. Although the Exeter incident remains among the first documented examples, the researchers found that an earlier credible case occurred in March 1847, when space weather disrupted telegraph systems on Britain’s Midland Railway.
A Railway Clue Exposed a 19th Century Error
The Exeter story originated with an anonymous report published in Nature in the 1870s. It described a “very intense magnetic disturbance” on October 18, 1841, that interfered with railway signals and delayed the 10:05 p.m. departure from Exeter by 16 minutes. Because of that date, the episode was widely treated as the earliest known instance of space weather affecting human technology.
But there was a big problem with the account. The railway line involved, running from Exeter to Starcross, did not open until 1846.
“In this study, we effectively investigated what had to be a typo in a Nature paper from 1871. We know it was a typo because the Exeter-to-Starcross train line mentioned in that paper didn’t exist until 1846, which is 5 years afterward,” said RMIT University space weather expert Associate Professor Brett Carter, who helped investigate the historical records.
The Evidence Points to 1848
An international team led by Lancaster University, with researchers from RMIT University, the British Geological Survey, Natural Resources Canada, Baylor University, and the UK’s national space laboratory, RAL Space, reconstructed the event using independent historical and scientific sources.
Railway timetables and contemporary newspapers were compared with records of solar activity, auroras, and disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field. The combined evidence indicates that the train delay most likely occurred on October 18, 1848.
By 1848, telegraph networks were spreading rapidly, giving geomagnetic disturbances more opportunities to interfere with electrical systems. Solar activity can disturb Earth’s magnetic field, inducing currents in long conductive wires such as telegraph lines and, in some cases, disrupting the equipment connected to them.
“Understanding this historical event is important because the 1840s mark the intersection between the rise of our technological age and space weather, which has always been around,” Carter said. “Since this line was crossed, humans have not looked back.”
Solar Storms Were Disrupting Technology Before the Carrington Event
The Exeter incident predates the much better-known Carrington Event of 1859, when an intense solar eruption triggered extraordinary auroras and widespread disruption to telegraph systems. Northern lights were reported as far south as Hawaii and Central America, while some observers said the glow was bright enough to read by. Gold miners reportedly mistook the illumination for dawn and began preparing breakfast shortly after midnight.
Telegraph equipment failed in multiple locations, operators received electrical shocks, and sparks sometimes ignited fires. In some cases, telegraph circuits continued working after their batteries were disconnected because geomagnetically induced currents supplied enough electricity to transmit messages.
The new research shows that such technological effects were already being documented more than a decade earlier. The earliest credible example currently identified by the researchers is the March 1847 disruption on the Midland Railway, placing the Exeter episode among the earliest cases rather than at the beginning of the record.
Space Weather Has Been a Technological Hazard for Generations
Study lead author Professor Jim Wild of Lancaster University said the findings show that technological vulnerability to solar activity began almost as soon as electrical infrastructure became widespread.
“What this research highlights is that space weather is not a new threat but a long-standing natural hazard. Society has been experiencing the effects of space weather on technology for almost as long as electrical technologies have existed,” Wild said.
“The Exeter train delay is a fascinating story because it sits right at the point where emerging technologies first began to encounter the realities of the space environment. By combining historical archives with scientific observations, we’ve been able to show that the event almost certainly happened in 1848 rather than 1841.
“Although this means it is not the earliest recorded space weather impact, it remains one of the first clear examples of solar activity disrupting critical infrastructure,” he said.
“It also demonstrates the value of combining scientific records with contemporary newspaper reports and archival documents when reconstructing historic space weather events.”
Old Records Can Help Explain Future Solar Storms
Dr. Mike Hapgood, a visiting scientist and space weather expert at RAL Space, described the investigation as a historical detective story and emphasized the value of preserving scientific observations from earlier centuries.
“It highlights the importance of preserving these older records, which give us the evidence base we need to interpret past events and strengthen future predictions,” he said.
Modern infrastructure is far more sophisticated than Victorian telegraph networks, but many systems remain vulnerable to geomagnetic disturbances. Solar storms can affect power grids, railway signaling equipment, satellite navigation, satellites, and communications networks. The technologies have changed, but the physical process connecting activity on the Sun to electrical systems on Earth remains.
“Deepening our understanding of these events is essential for preparing for, and mitigating, the impacts of space weather, especially as we look forward to a decade of exciting space developments that will face the challenge of a new solar cycle in the 2030s,” Hapgood said.
Reference: “Did Space Weather Delay the 10:05 p.m. Train Departure From Exeter on 18 October 1841?” by James A. Wild, Ciaran D. Beggan, David H. Boteler, William B. Cade, Brett A. Carter and Michael Hapgood, 16 September 2026, Space Weather.
DOI: 10.1029/2026SW005239
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