Northern Lights visible in India? The Aurora Borealis may shine here tonight

However, it appeared for the first time in Indian skies. The Indian Astronomical Observatory captured the Aurora Borealis over Mount Saraswati in Hanle, Ladakh for the first time.

Also read: The Northern Lights were seen all over Europe! The most powerful solar storm in 20 years brings auroras. See amazing pictures

The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, was visible from Ladakh at 34-36°N, an incredibly rare sight at such low latitudes.

According to reports, the auroral red arc emerged in the Hanle area of ​​Ladakh at around 1 am on May 11. The event is expected to continue over Ladakh through the weekend as additional coronal mass ejections enter Earth’s outer atmosphere.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm event, classified as G4 on the NOAA scale, occurred over Ladakh despite being located at mid-latitudes. happened in.

Also read: Northern lights dazzle UK, Europe, skywatchers say ‘enjoy this Aurora Borealis’

This aurora was previously visible over Ladakh during the night of April 22–23, 2023, which experts attribute to the coronal mass ejection on April 21. This ejection caused a G-4 category geomagnetic storm on Earth.

Apart from Ladakh, Aurora Borealis was also visible in parts of Europe and China. The arcs formed were not like traditional auroras that displayed a variety of colors in a dynamic pattern, but they had a definite color and it was red.

While quoting the news agency, Dr. Ravi AV Kumar, Scientific Officer of the Institute for Plasma Research Centre, said about this incident. Year“Solar flares are very common, they happen all the time… They happen when the Sun reaches the peak of its activity on an 11-year cycle… Every 11 years, the Sun’s activity goes from high to high will decrease and activity will peak in 2025… Solar flares are more likely to erupt at this time… These are highly charged particles of plasma that can travel at very high velocities… The faster they The larger the particles, the more dangerous they are… Since these are charged particles from the Sun, they can be deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field…”

Also read: Aurora alert! The northern lights dazzled the sky as a fierce solar storm hit Earth; Netizens call it ‘nature’s magic show’

“Some of these deflected particles can come into the Earth’s polar regions that interact with gas molecules in the upper atmosphere and they produce a color called an aurora…when there is a very strong solar flare that appears when combined tomorrow. The aurora is generated by the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field…people are lucky enough to see it as far as northern Italy…the aurora can also be seen in Hanle, Ladakh…” he added. Said.

Kumar said, “The flames keep coming and going, they do not affect us directly but can affect our everyday activities like communication as satellites can be disrupted… Satellite TV signals and radio communications can also be disrupted.” Are…” .

Where else was Aurora seen:

This rare phenomenon was also seen in Russia, Australia, Germany and Tasmania. In Russia, the Aurora Borealis was seen lighting up the night sky, while the Aurora Borealis was visible in northern areas of Germany. Similarly, in Tasmania, the southern region of Australia, people were seen capturing stunning photos of Aurora Australis.

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Published: May 11, 2024, 07:03 PM IST