The Bastille Day Solar Event

What happened

An X5.7 solar flare and full-halo coronal mass ejection on July 14, 2000 produced a severe (G5) geomagnetic storm and an S3 solar radiation storm. The event overwhelmed the ASCA X-ray astronomy satellite, forced it into safe mode, and ultimately contributed to its loss. Aurora were reported as far south as Texas and southern Europe, and the flare became a textbook case for space-weather forecasting.