2017/05/05 by Hisashi Hayakawa, Harufumi Tamazawa, Yusuke Ebihara +4
Physics and Astronomy · #Historical Astronomy and Related Studies #Historical record #History and Developments in Astronomy #Maxima #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Solar irradiance #Solar minimum #Space weather #Sunspot #Sunspot number #astro-ph.SR #physics.hist-ph #physics.space-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/pasj/psx045
2017/4/28 accepted for publication in PASJ
arxiv created 2017/05/05 · openalex publication_date 2017/05/17 · openalex created_date 2017/05/19 · arxiv updated 2017/09/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract Records of observations of sunspots and auroras in pre-telescopic historical documents provide useful information about past solar activity both in long-term trends and short-term space weather events. In this study, we present the results of a comprehensive survey of the records of sunspots and aurora candidates in the Yuánshĭ and Míngshĭ, Chinese Official Histories spanning 1261–1368 and 1368–1644, based on continuous observations with well-formatted reportds conducted by contemporary professional astronomers. We then provide a brief comparison of these data with Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) as an indicator of the solar activity during the corresponding periods to show significant active phases between the 1350s–80s and 1610s–30s. We then compared the former with contemporary Russian reports concerning naked-eye sunspots and the latter with contemporary sunspot drawings based on Western telescopic observations. Especially some of the latter are consistent with nitrate signals preserved in ice cores. These results show us some insights on and beyond minima and maxima of solar activity during the 13th–17th centuries.