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Researchers Uncover Medieval Solar Storms Using Japanese Texts

4/12/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) researchers use Japanese writings to study medieval solar storms and implications for space travel.
They developed a new method to track historical solar weather and identified a significant solar proton event between 1200 and 1201 CE.
The event aligns with historical texts and a carbon-14 spike, and the study reports seven-to-eight-year solar cycles in the 13th century.

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Story summary

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) researchers use Japanese writings to study medieval solar storms and implications for space travel.
They developed a new method to track historical solar weather and identified a significant solar proton event between 1200 and 1201 CE.
The event aligns with historical texts and a carbon-14 spike, and the study reports seven-to-eight-year solar cycles in the 13th century.