Case file · Cosmic event
Teika's red aurora of 1204
In February 1204 Fujiwara no Teika wrote of a 'red vapour' in the northern sky over Kyoto, 'like a fire', which frightened him on several nights.
1204 CE · 35.02, 135.75 · status: official
The account
A 2017 study matched his entries with Chinese records of large sunspots that winter, showing a cluster of great magnetic storms. It is a rare case where a diarist's fear of an omen gave scientists usable data.