Northern Lights in India: Strong Solar Storm Causes Skies Over Ladakh to Show Rare Auroras (See Pics)
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics said that it is highly uncommon to witness aurora at such a low latitude in reference to this.
Mumbai, May 02: A powerful geomagnetic storm that hit Earth's magnetic fields and caused spectacular auroras caught travellers in Ladakh off guard as the skies were lit up in bright lights. The Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in the vicinity of Mount Saraswati photographed this unusual event.
Typically, areas of Norway, Alaska, and other countries can see auroras at higher altitudes. Northern Lights: Aurora Seen in Skies Across UK in Rare Display, Netizens Share Spectacular Photos.
According to sources, this is the first time an aurora has been photographed in India. In actuality, the IAO in Ladakh Hanle's 360-degree camera captured this surreal phenomena, which is primarily caused by an interaction between the plasma particles launched by the Sun and the Earth's magnetic field.
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics said that it is highly uncommon to witness aurora at such a low latitude in reference to this.
According to reports, on April 21 at 11:42 PM, this unusual sight occurred. The Sun fired a coronal mass ejection towards the Earth at 11:42 PM on April 21. A solar flare of the M1 class was connected to this CME, which moved at a speed of 500–600 km/s. At 10 PM on April 23, the CME finally made its way to Earth.
Skies Over Ladakh Shows Rare Auroras
After a coronal mass ejection (CME) hurled from the Sun on April 21 and struck the Earth at a speed of 21,60,000 km/h, the aurora was photographed on the night of April 22–23. Northern Lights Seen in United States: Solar Flare Eruption Sparks a Rare Display of Aurora Borealis in Parts of Northern America.
According to the IAO, the auroras' nighttime descent to lower-than-usual latitudes has resulted in unusual sightings from China, Ladakh in India, and Europe. They claim that the last time such a powerful geomagnetic storm happened was in 2015.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 02, 2023 04:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).