Around the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, diaries and sermons recorded "blood moons," auroras, and a comet. The bright comet of late 1664 was predicted to be an omen of disaster. Modern research shows the period was indeed one of high solar activity, which may have caused multiple low-latitude auroras. The "blood moon" may have been linked to smoke from the fire.
Account
Around the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, diaries and sermons recorded "blood moons," auroras, and a comet. The bright comet of late 1664 was predicted to be an omen of disaster. Modern research shows the period was indeed one of high solar activity, which may have caused multiple low-latitude auroras. The "blood moon" may have been linked to smoke from the fire.
Contested
The comet and auroras are confirmed as real celestial events. The association with the plague and fire is retrospective interpretation.
Sources
- Samuel Pepys, Diary
- 17th-century sermons and monastic chronicles
- modern solar activity reconstruction