Aurora

November 10, 2023

The Hanle and Merak observatories in Ladakh spotted a phenomenon uncommon in India — an intense red aurora.
- Auroras are patterns of bright lights in the sky that are seen when particles ejected by the Sun interact with the magnetic field around the Earth.
- The phenomenon is usually visible closer to the poles.
Hanle is an ideal place to observe the phenomenon as it is India’s only dark sky reserve — an area where special measures are taken to reduce artificial light pollution.
- It is located 4500 metres above sea level.
Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO), operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, used an All-sky Camera to capture this extraordinary event.
The red-coloured auroral activity, an unusual spectacle was attributed to a Stable Auroral Red (SAR) event, a rare atmospheric phenomenon that paints the sky in vivid shades of red, contrasting the more common green and blue curtains of light typically associated with auroras at higher latitudes.
- The SAR event was triggered by a geomagnetic storm, a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere caused by a solar storm.