Unusual Red Aurora Over 1770 Kyoto And Dangerous Magnetic Storms That Can Threaten Our Planet

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7 years ago

red aurora Kyoto, Japan, 17september177021

MessageToEagle.com – An unusual red aurora was observed in Kyoto, Japan during an extreme magnetic storm that occurred on 17 September 1770.

Based on accessible historical documents, researchers have now gathered new evidence that the red aurora extended toward the zenith of Kyoto around midnight at northern sky.

Painting of the red aurora of 17 September 1770 in the premodern Japanese text “Seikai.” (Matsusaka City Museum of History and Traditional Crafts). A radial structure of stripes is shown, comprising small-scale rays inside the stripes. The bottom section and eastern/western edges of the stripes are somewhat darkened. The caption on the right side: “On 17 September 1770, at night, red vapor was active at northern sky. The figure was as it watched at midnight.” Credit: Matsusaka city, Mie prefecture.

Also investigated were detailed descriptions of the event from a newly discovered diary of the Higashi-Hakura family of Kyoto.

“The enthusiasm and dedication of amateur astronomers in the past provides us an exciting opportunity,” Kiyomi Iwahashi of NIJL says.

“The diary was written by a kokugakusha (scholar of ancient Japanese culture), and provides a sophisticated description of the red aurora, including a description of the position of the aurora relative to the Milky Way.”

The geometry of the auroral appearance as seen from Kyoto on Sept. 17 1770, is calculated for its reconstruction. Diamonds show the positions of the red aurora tangentially mapped to the flat plane of the 60 by 80 field-of-view, plotted every 100 km in east-west direction and every 10 km in vertical direction. The main body of the emissions is assumed to be in the range of 200 km to 500 km, with an inclination angle of 45 along the local magnetic field. Elevation angles are shown by angle markings on the vertical axis with plus signs. Credit: Kataoka R and Iwahashi K, Space Weather, 2017

Researchers determined that the intensity of the September 1770 magnetic storm is comparable to, or slightly larger than that of the September 1859 Carrington storm.

The Carrington Event – Biggest Solar Storm In Earth’s History

“The magnetic storm on 17 September 1770 was comparable with or slightly larger than the September 1859 magnetic storm that occurred under the influence of the Carrington solar flare. The 1859 storm was the largest magnetic storm on record, in which technological effects were widely observed,” Ryuho Kataoka of NIPR says.

The diary of the Higashi-Hakura family (page 86a-b, call number B2-164), which is owned by the Azumamaro Jinja in Kyoto. The appearance of the zenith aurora over Kyoto on Sept. 17 1770, is described in detail with references to the position of the Milky Way. Credit: Azumamaro Jinja

“It was lucky for us that the 1770 storm predated our reliance on electricity”.

Japanese researchers combine historic accounts of a rare red aurora with modern methods to describe an extreme magnetic storm over Kyoto in the 18th century.

The September 1770 storm could be 3–10% stronger than the September 1859 storm, the greatest storm in the past 200 years. The research provides insights that could assist preparation for an unlikely, but possible, future intense magnetic storm.

Research is of great importance because it can give us very important knowledge about disruption of power grids and give us opportunities to prepare for any potential more or less disastrous future event.

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