Solar storm lit up Ladakh skies: What triggered the rare sky event and what it means
Crimson auroras, typically unseen so far south, illuminated the skies of Ladakh's Hanle Dark Sky Reserve on January 19-20. This rare spectacle was triggered by an intense X-class solar flare and subsequent Coronal Mass Ejection, causing a G4-level geomagnetic storm. The vibrant red hue resulted from energetic particles exciting oxygen atoms at high altitudes in Earth's atmosphere.
Crimson auroras, typically unseen so far south, illuminated the skies of Ladakh's Hanle Dark Sky Reserve on January 19-20. This rare spectacle was triggered by an intense X-class solar flare and subsequent Coronal Mass Ejection, causing a G4-level geomagnetic storm. The vibrant red hue resulted from energetic particles exciting oxygen atoms at high altitudes in Earth's atmosphere.
