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According to tree ring data, the worst solar storm in history struck Earth in 774 CE. But what’s worse is that it strikes every 1000 years. That means the worst solar storm is coming.
The worst recorded solar storm in history is the 1859 solar storm, better known as the Carrington event. It was so powerful that it caused sparks and fires in telegraph machines and caused power grid failures. However, if the entire history of the Earth is considered, this is not even close to what the planet has experienced. A study has analyzed tree ring data and found out that the worst solar storm to hit the Earth occurred in 774 CE in an event now known as the Miyake event and it was so powerful that the solar storm started multiple forest fires. And the worst part? It strikes every 1000 years. Know when it can impact us next.
The data comes from a study published in Nature journal where a group of Japanese researchers analyzed tree ring data to find out about the existence of this solar storm. According to it, this particular solar event took place between 774–775 CE. It is estimated that its intensity was 10 times higher than the Carrington event. The evidence was found in Cedar trees in Japan which all show a huge spike in carbon-14. What is truly interesting is the way these researchers confirmed that this spike in carbon – 14 as it is not conclusive evidence of a solar storm.
The worst solar storm in history found within tree rings
For years, analyzing tree rings have been used to determine the age of major historic events. This is done by checking the contents of tree rings and noting any peculiarities. But while a spike in radiocarbon would indicate a cosmic event, it does not necessarily have to be a solar storm. It could have been a supernova explosion as well. This is where another study conducted by a team of researchers led by mathematician Qingyuan Zhang of the University of Queensland, reports Science Alert. “We modeled the global carbon cycle to reconstruct the process over a 10,000-year period, to gain insight into the scale and nature of the Miyake events,” explains Zhang.
This research also highlighted a much scarier fact. The 774 CE solar storm was not an isolated event. The events have happened multiple times in the past and at a gap of roughly a thousand years. However, much is still unknown. For instance, some of these solar storm events persisted for years, whereas others existed for a very short duration. No correlation with Sun activity was found either.
However, the data is enough to reveal that since 774 CE, we have not seen a solar storm like this. If such a storm like this were to hit us now, it would cause what the scientific world calls an ‘internet apocalypse’ and destroy every bit of wireless technology we have including mobile networks, GPS, radio communication systems and the internet. It can even destroy power grids, Earth-based computers and cause flash fires in forests.
When will solar storm hit Earth next?
The solar storm prediction is terrifying indeed. “Based on available data, there’s roughly a one percent chance of seeing another one within the next decade,” astrophysicist Benjamin Pope, part of the team, revealed.
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