A Poet's Haven

The poet was Fujiwara no Teika, one of medieval Japan's most important literary figures.

In February 1204, he recorded a strange and frightening sight in his diary, Meigetsuki: red lights glowing in the northern sky over Kyoto for several nights. To people at the time, it must have looked supernatural, almost like the heavens were burning.

Centuries later, scientists found a possible explanation hidden inside ancient tree rings. When powerful solar storms strike Earth, they can leave behind traces of carbon 14 in wood.

Researchers studying buried Japanese trees found evidence of a major solar particle event around this period, matching historical records of red auroras from Japan and China.

It was a medieval aurora caused by extreme space weather. The "fried every satellite" line is dramatic, but the science behind it is real. A solar storm that powerful today would be a global emergency, threatening satellites, astronauts, GPS, power grids, aviation systems, and communications networks across the world.

What's cool though is the poet's diary, and buried trees, separated by 800 years, ended up telling the same story.