Records of Auroral Candidates and Sunspots in Rikkokushi, Chronicles of Ancient Japan from Early 7th Century to 887

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Hayakawa, Hisashi, Iwahashi, Kiyomi, Tamazawa, Harufumi, Ebihara, Yusuke, Akito Davis Kawamura, Isobe, Hiroaki, Namiki, Katsuko, Shibata, Kazunari
• Format: Paper Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 03.08.2017
• Subjects: Auroras; Irradiance; Lunar phases; Physics - History and Philosophy of Physics; Physics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics; Physics - Space Physics; Radioisotopes; Sunspots
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1708.01045

In this article, we present the results of the surveys on sunspots and auroral candidates in Rikkokushi, Japanese Official Histories from the early 7th century to 887 to review the solar and auroral activities. In total, we found one sunspot record and 13 auroral candidates in Rikkokushi. We then examine the records of the sunspots and auroral candidates, compare the auroral candidates with the lunar phase to estimate the reliability of the auroral candidates, and compare the records of the sunspots and auroral candidates with the contemporary total solar irradiance reconstructed from radioisotope data. We also identify the locations of the observational sites to review possible equatorward expansion of auroral oval. These discussions suggest a major gap of auroral candidates from the late 7th to early 9th century, which includes the minimum number of candidates reconstructed from the radioisotope data, a similar tendency as the distributions of sunspot records in contemporary China, and a relatively high magnetic latitude with a higher potential for observing aurorae more frequently than at present.