Earliest datable records of aurora-like phenomena in the astronomical diaries from Babylonia

Hisashi Hayakawa; Yasuyuki Mitsuma; Yusuke Ebihara; Akito Davis Kawamura; Hiroko Miyahara; Harufumi Tamazawa; Hiroaki Isobe

doi:10.1186/s40623-016-0571-5

Earliest datable records of aurora-like phenomena in the astronomical diaries from Babylonia

Earth Planets Space. 2016;68(1):195. doi: 10.1186/s40623-016-0571-5. Epub 2016 Nov 29.

Authors

Hisashi Hayakawa¹, Yasuyuki Mitsuma², Yusuke Ebihara³, Akito Davis Kawamura⁴, Hiroko Miyahara⁵, Harufumi Tamazawa⁴, Hiroaki Isobe⁶

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
² Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan ; Unit of Synergetic Studies for Space, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
⁴ Kwasan Observatory, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
⁵ Musashino Art University, Tokyo, Japan.
⁶ Unit of Synergetic Studies for Space, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan ; Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies for Human Survivability, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Abstract

The astronomical diaries from Babylonia (ADB) are excellent sources of information of natural phenomena, including astronomical ones, in pre-Christ era because it contains the record of highly continuous and systematic observations. In this article, we present results of a survey of aurora-like phenomena in ADB, spanning from BCE 652 to BCE 61. We have found nine records of aurora-like phenomena. Philological and scientific examinations suggest that five of them can be considered as likely candidate for aurora observations. They provide unique information about the solar and aurora activities in the first millennium BCE. Graphical abstract.

Keywords: Astronomical diaries from Babylonia; CMEs; History of astronomy; Solar activity; Solar flares; Surveys.