A 17 year old amateur astronomer records the details of a solar flare in Spain in 1886. Scientist discover the research paper years later.
The description of the sudden flash in a sunspot seen on September 10, 1886, along with a picture was published in French journal L’Astronomie over a century ago.
Juan Valderrama Aguilera, the 17 year old was equipped with a small telescope, with an aperture of just 6.6 cm and a neutral density filter to dim the solar light.
Jose Manuel Vaquero, a Spain lecturer at the University of Extremadura reported that the discovery was a unique one, as he as the only one to observe the relatively rare white solar flare from a century ago.
Valderrama’s research paper gave a detailed description of the of the sunspot that he witnessed.
Specific satellites and instruments that do not operate on visible light are used by the scientists to study solar flares, but a white-light flare can be observed with a normal telescope that operates on visible light as Valderrama did in 1886.
Jorge Sanchez Almeida, of the Instututp de Astrefisica de Canaris (IAC) applauded the presence of mind of the 19th century 17 year old, to make such a discovery and to publish his research paper to a foreign scientific journal.
“Furthermore, the white-light flare observed by Valderrama is, chronologically, the third one recorded in the history of solar physics”, said Mr. Vaquero.
British astronomer Richard C. Carrigton observed the first solar flare in September 1st 1859, and the second was recorded by the Italian astronomer Pietro Angelo Secchi on November 13, 1872.
The two solar flares was the center of many debates during their heyday, as to whether or not they would have an impact on Earth.
Post Your Comments