Ancient texts will help to predict a severe solar storm

Imagine a place where you live, you begin to blaze polar lights. Of course, you will be surprised. No less strong was the surprise of the medieval Chinese and Japanese, when the sky above their heads was suddenly transformed.

Japanese scientists have studied the ancient documents, to see which astronomical phenomenon seen in China and Japan in the middle ages. Documented Aurora, most likely, was the result of intense magnetic storms, which, in turn, were generated by explosive events on the Sun.

Streams of electrons emitted by the star, interact with the atmosphere and Earth's magnetic field, energising the oxygen and nitrogen and cause them to highlight specific luminescence.

Particularly strong solar storms occur when the Sun ejects a coronal mass ejection. Such storms can paralyze the electrical grid, threaten the cosmonauts and astronauts and generate bright auroras which last for several days.

The researchers found many examples of such observations. For example, evidence from Fujiwara, but Teika, a famous Japanese poet who referred to prolonged storms on 21 and 23 February in Magaruque:

"21 Feb 1204 was very Sunny... After sunset in the North and North-East appeared a red vapour. The lower part of the steam was in the form of the rising moon, partially painted in white color and became very bright. Strip the pair was stretched out and was like smoke in the fire. There were four or five white pieces, three or four red. Not a cloud and not candles in the clouds? The light is not darkened, and red mingled with white. It's a mystery. It's very scary."

"23 February 1204, it was Sunny and quite windy. ... When it was time to light the lamps, on the North and North-East appeared a red vapour. It was like a distant burning mountain. It was very scary."

But the descriptions of the Aurora from the Chinese annals. They even earlier.

"February 14 937 years night turns, there were streaks of red and white vapor as specially grown bamboo forest. It lasted from 23 to 3 hours, the fog stretched from North to the middle of the sky, unstable shimmering went through the 28 lunar mansions and disappeared at dawn."

Researchers believe that the described events occurred during solar maxima. These solar storms were probably the result of numerous coronal mass ejections during a short period of time.

Data about solar events of the past can suggest how often the Earth will suffer from the strongest solar storm will hit and when the next major storm.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»