A group of specialists decoded ancient Assyrian cuneiform inscriptions that documented a solar storm that occurred 2,700 years ago and was recognized by Assyrian astronomers at the time.
Three large solar storms are documented on antique Assyrian cuneiform tablets, according to experts at the Japanese University of Tsukuba.
A peculiar red glow in the sky is mentioned in the ancient tablets. The researchers uncovered solar storms that occurred between 679 and 655 BC after validating the data. A survey of published literature and an examination of carbon-14 radioisotopes from tree rings were also part of the scientific inquiry.
They were able to prove that these solar magnetic storms occurred at that particular period. Astronomers began using telescopes to examine sunspots around 1610. Solar flares, which are brief explosions that shoot tremendous quantities of energy into space, generate these dark regions on the solar surface.
If solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are directed towards Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms. As solar particles move through the Earth’s atmosphere, they interfere with communication systems, satellites, and energy networks.
“Because of our increasing reliance on electronic infrastructure, these space weather events pose a significant threat to modern society,” said Hisashi Hayakawa, research leader at the University of Osaka in Japan. Scientists have been able to determine a succession of space weather episodes before 1610 by studying radiocarbon in tree rings around 775, 993, and 994 BC.
Hayakawa’s team focused on three instances that occurred around the year 660 BC. In their search, they wrote, “These occurrences happened long before the advent of instrumental observations, much beyond the more recent range of comprehensive observational coverage.”
“Let us look for auroral data in historical articles from such occasions as a strategy for inferring the overall pattern of solar storms and the prevalence of EMC,” the researchers said.
“The Babylonians and Assyrians began making astrological observations in the ninth century BC. Assyrian rulers collected and received astrological readings from competent astrologers as early as the seventh century BC to discover the evil significance of documented celestial phenomena.”
Cuneiform data was discovered on rectangular clay tablets with inscriptions.
The researchers looked to see if the events in the Assyrian auroral records were connected to scientific data on ancient solar activity. They unearthed cuneiform tablets with aurora records dating from 680 to 650 BC. These tablets show unusual pink skies, with one tablet describing a “pink cloud” and another declaring that “pink dominates the sky.”
These descriptions are most likely the result of “continuous red auroral arcs,” according to the experts. The Earth’s magnetic north pole would be closer to the Middle East than it is now, meaning that solar activity-related occurrences would have been recorded further south, according to the research.
If scientists can recreate solar activity hundreds of years ago, they may be able to predict future events. These findings allow us to piece together the history of solar activity. This study might aid in the prediction of future magnetic storms that could endanger satellites and other equipment.
