People across time zones across the world from London to Ladakh were mesmerized to catch a glimpse of the rare astronomical phenomenon Aurora Borealis on Thursday.
For the second time this year, vibrant auroras, usually reserved for polar regions, lit up the skies at latitudes beyond the polar extremes.
Photo courtesy: AFP
The northern lights were seen over the Baltic Sea near Kiel, northern Germany, on Thursday night.
The northern lights began earlier in the week, caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun, AFP reports. This event marked a significant geomagnetic storm.
Photo courtesy: AFP
The amazing display of colors was also seen in the southern hemisphere. The photo above shows what it looked like from above a dairy farm in Lincoln, on the outskirts of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Photo courtesy: AFP
Among the areas where the northern lights were seen was Haraldstad Lake near Ringsted, Denmark.
Photo Courtesy: Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Bhabha Atomic Research Center
In Hanle and Leh in Ladakh, scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai captured the sky with polar lights on cameras deployed there.
A statement issued by the Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) said, “For an extraordinary fourth time during the current solar cycle, intense red-coloured auroral activity was observed over Ladakh, India, and was photographed by astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics ” IIA) from Hanle, Leh and Marak on the night of 10-11 October 2024.”
Photo courtesy: AFP
The CME that caused the spectacle was particularly powerful, erupting from a portion of the Sun aimed directly at Earth. Juha-Pekka Luntama, head of the European Space Agency’s Space Weather Office, described it as a “perfect hit”.
The sky over Fish Creek, south of Melbourne in Australia, also lit up with this vibrant display of colors, commonly known as the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere.
Photo courtesy: AFP
The effects of the geomagnetic storm that produced these lights were also seen in Washington DC. The US Space Weather Prediction Center has warned that ongoing severe weather conditions associated with Hurricanes Helene and Milton could increase disruption to emergency services.
As solar activity reaches its peak in an 11-year cycle, these storms pose a threat to satellites, GPS systems and power grids. Looking to the future, there may be additional opportunities to see auroras in the coming years as solar activity continues to increase.
