"I knew there had been a geomagnetic storm but we were only planning to photograph the Milky Way, " Mr Thornley said.

BBC: Aurora Borealis seen from Isle of Man

As Holdren and Beddington note, the solar maximum, and increased possibility of a great geomagnetic storm, is fast approaching, now less than a year away.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Nuclear storm warnings?

The largest recorded geomagnetic storm took place in September 1859.

FORBES: Sky Full of Trouble; Bracing for Super Solar Storms

The last time a "great geomagnetic storm" unleashed such energy on the earth (thereafter known as a Carrington Event for the British scientist who first detected it) was September 1, 1859.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: An avoidable catastrophe

Strangely, Holdren and Beddington warn only about the natural EMP threat from a great geomagnetic storm, and ignore the manmade EMP threat posed by a nuclear weapon in the hands of terrorists or rogue states.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Nuclear storm warnings?

White House Science Advisor John Holdren and Sir John Beddington, Science Advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron, in a recent joint article "Celestial Storm Warnings" published in the New York Times, warned that a solar flare from the Sun could cause a great geomagnetic storm, with catastrophic consequences for the United States and the world.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Nuclear storm warnings?