Tue Dec 03 17:34:18 UTC 2024: ## Ancient Tree Rings Reveal Evidence of Powerful Solar Storm
**New Delhi –** Scientists have discovered evidence of a powerful solar superstorm that struck Earth in 664 BCE, adding to the limited record of such extreme events. The findings, published in *Communications Earth and Environment*, utilize data from tree rings to identify a significant spike in carbon-14, a radioactive isotope produced by increased cosmic radiation during such events.
Only six “Miyake events,” named after researcher Fusa Miyake who first identified them, are known to have occurred in the last 14,500 years. These storms are hundreds of times more intense than the strongest solar storms recorded in recent history. The newly discovered 664 BCE event is the fifth recorded, with the most recent occurring 2,700 years ago during the Assyrian Empire.
Lead researcher Irina Panyushkina emphasizes the significance of this discovery, stating that these events, if they occurred today, would have devastating consequences for modern communication technologies. The long-term study of these events, using the preserved carbon-14 in ancient tree rings, helps scientists better understand the Sun’s unpredictable behavior and improve our ability to predict and prepare for future superstorms. The lack of a discernible pattern in the timing of these events remains a key area of ongoing research.
First Piper 