Scientists finally know why the Sun mysteriously turned blue almost 200 years ago

Scientists have finally solved the long-standing mystery of the Sun turning blue in Earth’s atmosphere nearly 200 years ago. A massive volcanic eruption in 1831 was attributed to the reason for the color change, as huge plumes of sulfur dioxide were thrown into the atmosphere, causing global cooling and causing our planet to welcome strange climatic conditions that year -there.

A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) discovered that the Zavaritskii volcano, on the remote and uninhabited island of Simushir, now a disputed territory between Russia and Japan, was ground zero for the planet-changing eruption.

Scientists from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, analyzed ice core records from the 1831 event to confirm their findings. They added that there was no written record of direct observation of the 1831 eruption, because the island on which the eruption took place is remote and remained largely uninhabited.

“The moment in the lab when we analyzed the two ashes together, one from the volcano and one from the ice core, was a real eureka moment,” said Will Hutchison, co-author of the study. study, in a press release.

“We analyzed the chemistry of the ice at very high temporal resolution. This allowed us to determine the precise timing of the eruption back to spring-summer 1831, confirm that it was highly explosive, and then extract the tiny shards of ash,” Mr Hutchison said.

As the team solved the mystery of the 1831 eruption and its impact on the Sun, Hutchinson noted that they still had no instruments that mentioned volcanic activity on the distant island.

“If this eruption were to happen today, I don’t think we would be in a much better situation than we were in 1831. It just goes to show how difficult it will be to predict when and where the next big eruption will come from will change the climate.

Massive volcanic eruptions

1831 isn’t the only time a volcanic eruption had a global impact. In 1815, the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia led to a year without summer on the planet. The eruption released 24 cubic miles of gas, dust and rock into the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to plummet, ultimately leading to a 1 degree Celsius cooling of the Northern Hemisphere.

Scientists warn there is a one in six chance that a similar volcanic eruption, likely to disrupt life on the planet, will take place this century.

The economic repercussions of a massive eruption could be staggering, with losses reaching into the trillions. Additionally, any cooling effects would be momentary, with the planet soon returning to its warming trajectory due to continued greenhouse gas emissions.