Ladakh: Hanle village witnesses Northern Lights

Ladakh’s Hanle village witnessed the spectacular display of the aurora borealis and aurora australis which has captivated the world as an intense solar storm hit the Earth.

Painting the night skies with vibrant colours, this phenomenon was witnessed in various parts of the globe, including the Dark Sky Reserve in Ladakh’s Hanle.

The auroras are a rare atmospheric phenomenon that appears as a band of reddish light. The auroral arcs have a fixed colour and remain static unlike traditional auroras that display a variety of colours in dynamic patterns. 

An aurora is a natural light display that occurs in the Earth's sky, primarily visible in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic. It is caused by disturbances in the magnetosphere, which are triggered by the solar wind.

Russia, Australia, and Germany also witnessed the rare phenomenon as particles interacted with the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.

In Russia, the aurora borealis illuminated the night sky with its shimmering curtains, while in Germany, the aurora borealis was visible in the northern regions.

The intense solar storm responsible for the spectacular display was caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun, which released a massive amount of energy into space.