How ancient trees are warning us about the next enormous solar storm

• The article discusses how ancient trees are revealing clues about upcoming solar storms.
• In 2012, Fusa Miyake found a sudden spike in carbon-14 in Japanese cedar tree rings between AD 774 and 775, indicating a rare solar event.
• This spike was 20 times larger than normal solar variation and was confirmed by beryllium-10 measurements in ice cores.
• Researchers found similar spikes in trees from North America and Europe, suggesting the event was global.
• The spike was linked to a possible superflare from the sun, which could have been 10 times more powerful than the Carrington event.
• The discovery of five "Miyake events" every 2,000 years challenges existing solar physics models, which suggest such extreme solar storms are rare.
• The article mentions a 2023 study that found the largest confirmed Miyake event in prehistory, dated to 12,350 BC.
• Researchers are now trying to understand how often these intermediate solar storms occur, leaving a "missing middle" in solar violence.
• The gap between small, common storms and rare, extreme ones may mean dangerous events are rarer than expected.
• If the cause is a coronal mass ejection, the effects could disrupt power grids, pipelines, and communication systems.
• The article emphasizes the importance of studying tree rings to understand solar activity and prepare for potential threats.

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