<h5>What is an aurora?</h5><p>An aurora is a natural light show in the sky. Different colours (blue, red, yellow, green, and orange) shift and change shape gradually, like softly moving curtains. Auroras can only be seen at night and are visible near the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. This is known as the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.</p><p>It is known as the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights in the southern hemisphere. Auroras are formed by the Sun, yet are visible at night. The Sun releases a large number of particles. When the particles approach Earth, some of them move along magnetic field lines at the north and south poles.</p><p>These particles interact with the gases in our atmosphere, causing the light displays in the sky. The reaction of the particles with different gases causes the different lights of an aurora. Recently, a rare red aurora was seen in India.</p><h5>Where was a red aurora seen?</h5><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/rare-red-aurora-seen-in-india%2FLadakh%202.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=1b82e567-7311-43e2-aed9-9387c6366593"><figcaption>An image of the sky taken from the Hanle observatory. Photo by IIAstrophysics.</figcaption></figure><p>A spectacular red aurora was recently witnessed at the observatories of Hanle and Merak in Ladakh. This unusual occurrence (auroras generally do not occur in Indian skies) in the skies above India has captured the attention of many. The red aurora was formed due to solar activity.</p><p>The Hanle observatory recorded the event easily. However, the Merak observatory faced difficulties due to obstruction from the mountains. Earlier, another aurora was seen in the sky on 23rd April 2023. That was the first time an aurora was seen in India.</p><h5>Solar particles react with which gas to form red aurora?</h5><p>Red auroras form after solar particles react with oxygen at higher altitudes, often between 300 and 400 kilometres. The oxygen concentration is less at this height, making the red colour visible.</p><p>Green is the most common aurora colour. It happens when solar particles react with high oxygen concentration in the Earth's atmosphere at heights ranging from 100 to 300 km. You can learn more about auroras <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newsahoot.com/articles/auroras-photographed-from-the-space-station">here</a>.</p>

The red aurora lit up the night sky in Ladakh.

Rare Red Aurora Seen in India

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Rare Red Aurora Seen in India

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