The earliest drawings of datable auroras and a two-tail comet from the Syriac Chronicle of Zūqnīn

Abstract

People have probably been watching the sky since the beginning of human history. Observers in pre-telescopic ages recorded anomalous events, which now provide uniquely valuable information for modern scientists. Records that include drawings are particularly useful, since the verbal expressions recorded by pre-telescopic observers, who did not know the physical nature of the phenomena, are often ambiguous. However, drawings concerning specific datable events in the historical documents are far fewer than the verbal records. Therefore, in this paper we show the possible earliest drawings of datable auroras and a two-tail comet included in a manuscript of the Chronicle of Zūqnīn, a Syriac chronicle up to 775/776 CE, to interpret their nature. Careful perusing the original Syriac autograph manuscript, MS Vat.Sir.162, provide not only historical facts in the realm around Amida, but also information concerning low-latitude aurora observations due to extreme space weather events and the existence of sun-grazing comets.