Leh in Ladakh sees rare celestial illumination as the Sun is in its active phase, throwing charged particles towards the Earth in the form of intense solar storms. This phenomenon usually presents a kaleidoscopic view of the lights visible near the North and South Poles, but this year the solar activity has been so intense that these lights appear as bright red skies and can be seen as far south as Leh in Ladakh. Can be seen in.
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, deployed in Ladakh, have beautifully captured these auroral lights in the skies of Hanle and Leh. NDTV’s Pallav Bagla, who is in Ladakh himself, witnessed this rare celestial spectacle.
“The Sun is active at the moment and several intense flares have been seen over the past few months. These flares are so intense that we can see auroras even in lower northern latitudes like Hanley,” said Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, director of the Indian Institute of Technology. Department of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru.
Photo Courtesy: Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Bhabha Atomic Research Center
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. ” Astrophysics (IIA) from Hanle, Leh and Merak on the night of 10-11 October 2024. The aurora was captured by the Hanley and Merak sky cameras throughout the night, the bright red emission in the northern sky was easily seen with the unaided eye and was also photographed by observatory staff with their own cameras.”
“All-sky cameras at our Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle, as well as at the proposed site of the National Large Solar Telescope at Marak in Ladakh, captured a beautiful time-lapse video of the aurora, starting at 10 p.m.: 45 pm and continued intense until dawn”, said Dorje Angchuk, engineer in charge of the observatory, which is operated by the IIA.
“Our staff at Henley were able to easily see the aurora with their unaided eyes and even managed to photograph it,” he said.
Photo Courtesy: Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Bhabha Atomic Research Center
“Unless there are very severe geomagnetic storms, it is extremely rare to see auroras at such low latitudes,” said Professor Dibyendu Nandi of the Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata. Is.” ,
He said the Space Weather Group had predicted this storm, and highlighted the possibility of widespread auroras as well as the possibility of increased orbital decay of low Earth orbiting satellites.
Photo Courtesy: Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Bhabha Atomic Research Center
Speaking to NDTV, Dr S Somnath, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Bengaluru, confirmed that “All Indian satellites are safe and functioning smoothly and have not been affected by this intense solar storm on Earth.” There has been no impact.”
According to scientists at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, “On October 10, Earth experienced a G4 category geomagnetic storm, which was caused by a strong coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun. Geomagnetic Storm Earth There are significant disturbances in the magnetic field caused by solar activity, particularly CMEs.
The G-scale for geomagnetic storms ranges from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme), with a G4 storm classified as severe. Upon arrival, the CME interacted with Earth’s magnetosphere, causing significant fluctuations in the magnetic field and resulting storm. The interaction between the CME’s magnetic field and Earth’s magnetic field drives auroral activity. BARC has set up the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) telescope at Hanle, Ladakh which monitors gamma-ray bursts.
Photo courtesy: Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Bhabha Atomic Research Center
BARC said the storm resulted in excitation of oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This process occurs when energetic solar wind particles—primarily electrons—are accelerated along magnetic field lines toward the poles, where they collide with atmospheric atoms and molecules. These collisions excite the atoms, causing them to emit light as they return to their ground state. Oxygen excitation at high altitudes (>200 km) produces rare red auroras.
BARC says such storms can have serious consequences such as disruption of high-frequency radio communications, aviation and maritime operations being affected. The increased particle flux also poses a radiation hazard to satellite electronics. The program emphasizes the need for continued monitoring and preparedness in the context of space weather events. The effects of solar storms, characterized by coronal mass ejections and solar flares, can transcend mere visual manifestations, causing significant disruptions to critical infrastructure and global communications systems.
