Agora – Historical events and observations

Portuguese eyewitness accounts of the great space weather event of 1582

¹ Departamento de Física, Universidad de Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz, Spain
² Instituto Universitario de Investigación del Agua, Cambio Climático y Sostenibilidad (IACYS), Universidad de Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
³ Departamento de Física, Universidad de Extremadura, 06800 Mérida, Spain

^* Corresponding author: vmscarrasco@unex.es

Received: 13 December 2019
Accepted: 20 January 2020

Abstract

Newly discovered descriptions about the great aurora observed in March 1582 are presented in this work. These records were made by Portuguese observers from Lisbon. Both records described the aurora like a great fire in the northern part of the sky. It was observed during three consecutive nights, according to one of the sources. Thus, we present a discussion of these auroral records in order to complement other works that studied the aurora sighted in March 1582.