Abstract:
The history of geomagnetism is more than 400 years old. Geomagnetic storms as we know them were discovered
about 210 years ago. There has been keen interest in understanding Sun–Earth connection events, such as solar flares,
CMEs, and concomitant magnetic storms in recent times. Magnetic storms are the most important component of
space weather effects on Earth. We give an overview of the historical aspects of geomagnetic storms and the progress
made during the past two centuries. Super magnetic storms can cause life-threatening power outages and satellite
damage, communication failures and navigational problems. The data for such super magnetic storms that occurred
in the last 50 years during the space era is sparce. Research on historical geomagnetic storms can help to create a
database for intense and super magnetic storms. New knowledge of interplanetary and solar causes of magnetic
storms gained from spaceage observations will be used to review the super magnetic storm of September 1–2, 1859.
We discuss the occurrence probability of such super magnetic storms, and the maximum possible intensity for the
effects of a perfect ICME: extreme super magnetic storm, extreme magnetospheric compression, and extreme magnetospheric
electric fields.
