. 24/7 Space News .
IRON AND ICE
Modern science reveals ancient secret in Japanese literature
by Staff Writers
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Mar 31, 2020

illustration only

Nearly a millennium and a half ago, red light streaked the night sky over Japan. Witnesses compared it to the tail of a pheasant - it appeared as a fan of beautiful red feathers stretched across the sky. Since the event, scientists have studied the witness accounts written in the year 620 A.D. and speculated about what the cosmic phenomenon could have actually been. Now, researchers from The Graduate University for Advanced Studies may have found the answer.

They published their results on March 31, 2020 in the Sokendai Review of Culture and Social Studies.

"It is the oldest Japanese astronomical record of a 'red sign,'" said Ryuho Kataoka, a researcher with the Department of Polar Science in the School of Multidisciplinary Sciences at The Graduate University for Advanced Studies and the National Institute of Polar Research. "It could be a red aurora produced during magnetic storms. However, convincing reasons have not been provided, although the description has been very famous among Japanese people for a long time."

The problem with the aurora hypothesis, according to Kataoka, is that auroras do not look like pheasant tails. Instead, they are ribbon-esque, waving across the sky. It could have been a comet, some researchers speculated, but comets do not often appear red.

To better understand the phenomenon, Kataoka and his team adjusted their view - literally. The magnetic latitude of Japan was 33 degrees in 620, compared to 25 degrees today. The pheasant tail appeared to be about 10 degrees long, placing it well within the area that would be affected by a strong magnetic storm.

"Recent findings have shown that auroras can be 'pheasant tail' shaped specifically during great magnetic storms," Kataoka said. "This means that the 620 A.D. phenomenon was likely an aurora."

The researchers plan to continue examining literary references for modern scientific relevance.

"This is an interesting and successful example that modern science can benefit from the ancient Japanese emotion evoked when the surprising appearance of heaven reminded them of a familiar bird," Kataoka said.

Pheasants are culturally significant in Japan and have been for generations. They were considered messengers of the heaven in traditional Japanese folklore. According to Kataoka, it is likely meaningful that the historical records used the shape of a pheasant's tail to describe the "heavenly" phenomenon of the fan-shaped auroras.

"We hope to continue exploring this collaboration between science and literature," Kataoka said.

Research paper


Related Links
Research Organization Of Information And Systems
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


IRON AND ICE
First research results on the 'spectacular meteorite fall' of Flensburg
Munster, Germany (SPX) Feb 19, 2020
A fireball in the sky, accompanied by a bang, amazed hundreds of eyewitnesses in northern Germany in mid-September last year. The reason for the spectacle was a meteoroid entering the Earth's atmosphere and partially burning up. One day after the observations, a citizen in Flensburg found a stone weighing 24.5 grams and having a fresh black fusion crust on the lawn of his garden. Dieter Heinlein, coordinator of the German part of the European Fireball Network at the German Aerospace Center in Augs ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

IRON AND ICE
Construction of Russian National Space Center to be finished in Moscow in 2023

An astronaut's tips for living in space or anywhere

New Spinoff publication shares how NASA innovations benefit life on Earth

Revisiting decades-old Voyager 2 data, scientists find one more secret

IRON AND ICE
SpaceX parachute test aborted weeks before planned manned launch - report

Russian Space Agency says will change 2020 launch schedule due to COVID-19 outbreak

Pentagon tests hypersonic glide body in Hawaii

US Space Force launches first mission despite coronavirus

IRON AND ICE
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover takes a new selfie before record climb

Over 10 million names now aboard Perseverance rover bound for Mars

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Gets Its Sample Handling System

Waves in thin Martian air with wide effects

IRON AND ICE
China's experimental manned spaceship undergoes tests

China's Long March-7A carrier rocket fails in maiden flight

China's Yuanwang-5 sails to Pacific Ocean for space monitoring mission

Construction of China's space station begins with start of LM-5B launch campaign

IRON AND ICE
OneWeb launches 34 communications satellites from Kazakhstan

ESA scales down science mission operations amid pandemic

RUAG Space delivered key products for Airbus OneWeb satellite launch

OneWeb files for bankruptcy over financial squeeze

IRON AND ICE
Airbus completes In Orbit Commissioning of CHEOPS

USSF announces initial operational capability and operational acceptance of Space Fence

Flat-panel technology could transform antennas, wireless and cell phone communications

Print sprint: Bosnians 3D print face-shields to combat coroanvirus

IRON AND ICE
Planetary Science Journal launches with online papers

Russian to study if space suits can bring microbes into ISS from exterior

Paired with super telescopes, model Earths guide hunt for life

Salmon parasite is world's first non-oxygen breathing animal

IRON AND ICE
Jupiter's Great Red Spot shrinking in size, not thickness

Researchers find new minor planets beyond Neptune

Ultraviolet instrument delivered for ESA's Jupiter mission

One Step Closer to the Edge of the Solar System









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.