Never-seen-before auroras light up skies in Ladakh; Check out VIRAL video

Produced by: Bhoomika
Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh

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Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights dazzled the skies in Ladakh. The rare phenomenon was caught on camera for the first time in India by the Indian Astronomical Observatory. It took place on April 22-23 night after a coronal mass ejection was hurtled from the Sun on April 21

Northern Lights in Ladakh

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"The aurora lights were seen due to an intense geomagnetic storm that hit the Earth. It is extremely rare to see the aurora at such a low latitude," tweeted the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, which operates the observatory at the height of over 3,000 metres above sea level

Aurora lights in Ladakh 

The 360-degree camera atop the IAO in Ladakh’s Hanle captured the mysterious phenomenon. Aurora Borealis in Ladakh was triggered by an interaction between the plasma particles hurled by the Sun and Earth's magnetic field

Aurora dazzles skies
in Ladakh 

Video: Twitter/@IIABengaluru

Check out the mesmerising video of the Northern Lights captured in Ladakh

Aurora lights in Ladakh:
Video

The aurora came to lower-than-usual latitudes overnight leading to rare sightings from Europe, China and Ladakh in India. Such a severe geomagnetic storm had last occurred in 2015

Why is Aurora Borealis a
rare event in Ladakh?

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In March, a pilot operating an EasyJet plane took a 360-degree turn while flying between Iceland’s Reykjavik and UK’s Manchester to help the passengers witness the Northern Lights. The dynamic patterns made by green and pink lights filled the sky

Pilot takes 360-degree
turn for Natural Lights 

Northern Lights are often witnessed in Norway, Iceland and Greenland. They are also referred to as polar lights. Brilliant lights appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky

Where is the best place to
see the Northern Lights?

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As per a science journal, the Northern Lights occur so high up in the atmosphere that they don't pose any threat to people watching them from the ground. The aurora itself is not harmful to humans but the electrically charged particles produced could have some potentially negative effects on infrastructure and technology

Are Northern Lights harmful?

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They are similar to Northern Lights but occur due to the magnetic pull of the South Pole. Antarctica and Tasmania are the best spots for watching the Southern Lights

What are Southern Lights?

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