A Miyake event is an unexplained cosmic storm that strikes our planet on average about every thousand years. These events leave their imprint in the tree rings around the globe and the ice cores of Antarctica.
Scientists study the spike in the radiocarbon levels in the tree ring data to find the exact time a Miyake event occurred. It was believed that their origins lie in solar flares that regularly hit Earth. However, new studies show the Sun is not responsible for these cosmic storms.