Ancient Assyria is one of the most ancient states of our planet, which can rightfully be considered the very first world empire in the history of mankind. According to an article published by newsweek.com, ancient Assyrian cuneiform tablets were found to contain hints of unusual solar activity, which consisted of three large-scale solar storms that swept the planet about 2,700 years ago.
Magnetic storms through the eyes of the ancients
Despite the fact that astronomers officially began observing sunspots with telescopes only about 400 years ago, evidence of solar flares directly associated with them was noticed in ancient times. Due to the fact that solar flares that occur in the colder regions of our star, send a huge amount of charged particles into space, some of this radiation still reaches the Earth's atmosphere, negatively affecting the operation of communication systems, satellites and power systems.
In recent years, scientists have been able to identify several extreme space weather events prior to 1610 by studying radiocarbon in tree rings and finding that powerful magnetic storms could have occurred in 775, 993, and 994 AD. Despite the result, the researchers decided to go further in their experiment, finding that the inhabitants of Babylon and Assyria began to conduct the first astrological observations back in the 8th century BC.
Thus, the researchers conducted a review of auroral events, which were recorded by the astrologers of Ancient Assyria using cuneiform tablets, some of which actually contained information about the aurora that swept our planet between 680 and 650 BC.
The tablets found by Japanese researchers describe an unusual red sky that suddenly appeared in front of ancient scientists. The team believes these descriptions are likely the result of so-called auroral red arcs, which are triggered by magnetic fields that act on electrons in oxygen atoms. The researchers note that the magnetic North Pole of the Earth at that time was much closer to the Middle East than it is today, that is, events associated with solar activity were observed not only at the modern poles of the planet, but also at more southern latitudes.
Reconstructing solar activity thousands of years ago could help scientists predict future magnetic storms and recreate the history of solar flares. Knowledge of this information can provide a good theoretical basis for researchers involved in improving methods of protecting spacecraft in the event of magnetic storms.
Promotional video: