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What Struck Earth in 775?
ananyo writes "Just over 1,200 years ago, the planet was hit by an extremely intense burst of high-energy radiation of unknown cause, scientists studying tree-ring data have found. The radiation burst, which seems to have hit between 774 and 775, was detected by looking at the amounts of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 in tree rings that formed during the 775 growing season in the Northern Hemisphere. The increase in 14C levels is so clear that the scientists conclude that the atmospheric level of 14C must have jumped by 1.2% over the course of no longer than a year, about 20 times more than the normal rate of variation (abstract). Yet, as the only known events that can produce a 14C spike are supernova explosions or giant solar flares, and neither event was observed at the time, astronomers have a cosmic mystery on their hands."
You need only look at the years leading up to 775 to unravel this mystery. In 773 at the start of the Islamic Golden Age, the number zero was introduced to Baghdad which would, in 775, surpass China's capital of Chang'an as Earth's largest city. Now, we know from the second law of thermodynamics that 'the entropy of an isolated system that is in equilibrium is constant.' Now with all those people suddenly using zero in tons of transactions and writings, Earth experienced a huge decrease in entropy. I'm sure if you analyze the existing works from the time, you'll find that pervasive use of the hot new number zero increased the frequency of numbers at the time by 1.2%. That means that somewhere there had to be an increase in entropy to maintain the balance described by the second law of thermodynamics. Of course, anyone with a mail-order internet degree can tell you the obvious natural source of entropy at the time would be the decay of nitrogen-14. What? Falsifiability? Just watch, the floods in Thailand have lead to a decrease in production of ones and zeros hard drives which means we'll finally get a break from this 'global warming' or (let's just call it for what it really is) the 'entropic energy extravaganza!'
Also, for good measure: Nazis.
My work here is dung.
I don't have a comment other than to say that I enjoy articles like this one. Please bring more like it and i will hit refresh 20 times to get yor page hit count up :)
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
Is that you?
If the supernova was behind or near the Sun, earthlings around 775 wouldn't have been able to detect it.
All ideas^H^H^H^H^Hprocesses in this post are Patent Pending. (as well as the process of patenting all postings)
Would this mean carbon dating is inaccurate for items older than 1300 years?
Time to redate the Shroud of Turin?
The Sol system was the site of a major inter-stellar battle. Two great space armadas firing nuclear weapons at each other. Each one trying to gain a foothold in this part of the Western Spiral Arm until of course they realized there was nothing worth it here.
Either that or a Vogon constructor fleet started making a hyper space by-pass. They got the planet between Mars and Jupiter and then the funding ran out.
Undetectable Steganography? Yep, there's an app fo
No. The sun was completely invisible until 1013.
The Police wrote a song about that, IIRC.
Yet, as the only known events that can produce a 14C spike are supernova explosions or ... and neither event was observed at the time
... was observed at the time in surviving northern written records.
Are there any detailed written astronomical observations from the southern hemisphere from that long ago?
Also it would be pretty funny if the two guys recording solar observations in 775 both had a rainstorm the day of the largest solar flare.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Since a near supernova enough to increase Carbon 14 levels would leave other effects, and the flares explanation is, similarly, weak.It is just as likely there was a temporary reduction in the earth's magnetic field that allowed more ambient cosmic rays to strike earth. While this amount of variation in the magnetic field is high, it isn't out of range of other events. It has the further advantage of not leaving a large number of highly visible effects, except for very strong auroras, which, given the date, might not have been recorded frequently or unequivocally enough.
Fugue for Aaron Swartz
If I do it'll be because I think it's funny; not because you say so.
I really wish people would stop with this sort of thing.
"Behind the Sun?"
Maximum Prophet, for your information, the Earth rotates around the Sun.
Being behind the Sun may not matter here, if the effect was strong and _long_ enough to elevate C14 levels.
Wrong! Back then, the universe rotated around the earth. Everybody knows that. So it could be perfectly true back then, that this supernova hid behind the sun.
775 was a year of false permissiveness when anyone could read or do anything as long as it was produced by a small cabal known as "the group", headed by "owner".
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
A.D. 774. This year the Northumbrians banished their king,
Alred, from York at Easter-tide; and chose Ethelred, the son of
Mull, for their lord, who reigned four winters. This year also
appeared in the heavens a red crucifix, after sunset; the
Mercians and the men of Kent fought at Otford; and wonderful
serpents were seen in the land of the South-Saxons.
http://omacl.org/Anglo/part2.html
rewriting history since 2109
First of all, the 14C measurements and related considerations could be simply flawed. It would not be the first time. ... which would require a rather large number of samples to be studied and collected from a wide spread area (the whole northern emishere). I wonder how many (precious) samples of wood can be retrieved intact from 1200 years in the past to be literally burnt in order to measured the 14C.
Second, the fact that the primary natural source of carbon-14 on Earth is cosmic ray action upon nitrogen in the atmosphere doesn't mean it's been a super nova for sure. That could also be due to abnormal solar activity (this is said in the article) which could easily go unobserved by civilizations that don't have the proper technology.
Third, astronomical records at that era were relatively scarce and quite imprecise too.
Fourth, the article talks about northern emisphere
Fifth, you can also have a not-so-strong abnormal solar activity just lasting months or even quarters to produce the same amount of 14C.
But all these could be as flawed as the original considerations ...
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
Wrong again. Everyone knows the Earth was flat in 775...so there was no rotation only spinnning. Perfectly plausible to have a supernova hide under the Earth.
Of course, it all makes sense now. The supernove killed all the turtles, so the Earth had no choice but to start rotating.
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