Last week, a remarkable celestial event unfolded over the skies of Ladakh as intense aurorae, typically reserved for higher latitudes and poles, graced the region.
This phenomenon was attributed to the strongest solar storm in two decades, which unleashed a powerful geomagnetic storm upon Earth, creating a stunning display of aurora lights. These Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are a natural light display that occurs in the sky near the North Pole.
This phenomenon happens when electrically charged particles from the sun collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. These collisions create bright, colourful lights in the sky, usually in neon shades of green and pink. The Northern Lights are most visible in the winter in Alaska, Canada, Norway, Iceland, Russia, Sweden and Finland.
The rare occurrence of auroras appearing at such low latitudes (for example, India) captivated onlookers, with vibrant red hues painting Ladakh’s pristine skies late into the night between May 10 and 11. Astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru (IIA), seized the opportunity to capture this spectacle through all-sky cameras strategically positioned around the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle, Ladakh.
According to the reports, the rare celestial show was triggered by a series of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), massive ejections of magnetic particles and plasma from the Sun’s corona, its outermost atmosphere. At least four strong solar storms bombarded Earth during this period, contributing to the intense auroras visible from Ladakh.
Unlike the dynamic auroras typically observed near the Earth’s poles, the phenomenon witnessed in Ladakh was identified as stable auroral red arcs, manifesting as a continuous red glow in the night sky for several hours. While the current situation may escalate with more solar storms expected to impact Earth, scientists anticipate that this could lead to even more spectacular displays of aurora lights across India.
The beauty of the Northern Lights lies in their ever-changing nature. Each display is unique, appearing in various forms such as rippling bands, waving ribbons, bright arcs, an eerie green glow or dancing across the sky in a dazzling display of colours.
Even before the solar storm occurrence last weekend, scientists and astronomers predicted that 2024 could be the best year in over a decade to witness the mesmerising display of the aurora borealis.
The reason behind this optimistic forecast is a period of heightened solar activity expected to enhance the natural spectacle as the sun enters a solar maximum phase, marking the peak of its 11-year activity cycle.
This phase is anticipated to bring about major disturbances from solar storms, creating ideal conditions for a super season of the Northern Lights. During periods of increased solar activity, the auroral zone expands, increasing the likelihood of the lights being visible in areas where they are not typically seen.