Solar storms this year allowed for the Northern Lights to be seen quite far south in the U.S. Those storms can also be massive, and there are records of them going back thousands of years.
A new study led by a researcher from the University of Arizona was able to date one ancient event to within two years.
Such massive storms are called Miyake events. They can disrupt the elements in the atmosphere, which then over time can make their way down to the surface of the Earth.
There are only a handful of these events and the date of one has eluded scientists.
However, the research team used radiocarbon dating in tree rings to determine this lost event happened between 664 and 663 BCE.
UA professor Irina Panyuskina led the study, and warned that such events could cause major power outages and damage infrastructure.
“Those extraordinary storms which are potentially very, very can be disruptive to our civilization and technological progress and you know, power grid, communications, everything can be affected.”
The study was published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
