Captivating time-lapse footage of the night sky over Hanle, Ladakh, reveals a rare auroral red arc amidst a breathtaking panorama of galaxies and meteor showers, captured by the giant telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory.
In a rare celestial spectacle, Ladakh's skies shimmered with a crimson hue recently on May 10, unveiling a stable auroral red arc at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve amidst the Himalayas. This extraordinary event, ignited by severe solar magnetic storms originating from the AR13664 region of the sun, captured the attention of scientists at the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences in India (CESSI), Kolkata, and enraptured both amateur astronomers and skywatchers worldwide.
While the auroras adorned the skies at higher altitudes across the northern hemisphere, captivating skywatchers in Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, and Poland, it was the display over Hanle that truly stood out. While astronomers at Hanle shared captivating images of the aurora, a unique spectacle has now surfaced—the time-lapse footage of the night sky over Hanle, captured by the giant telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory.
The giant telescope, nestled amidst Ladakh's remote cold desert, stands as one of the world's highest, offering an unparalleled vantage point into the cosmos. Through its lens, the time-lapse footage unfolded, revealing the fixed crimson auroral arc—a stark departure from the dynamic auroras typically witnessed. Alongside this celestial marvel, the tapestry of the Milky Way, streaking meteors, and distant galaxies painted the canvas of the night sky in an awe-inspiring display.
When SPECTACULAR is an understatement!
The whole world talked about the intense solar storm that hit Earth on May 10, resulting in the Northern Lights being visible at unusual places.
One such place was at village Hanle, high in the remote cold desert of Ladakh, at an altitude… pic.twitter.com/O2TLkBOeSF
At nearly 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) above sea level, Hanle's astronomers were treated to a mesmerizing sight as a faint crimson luminescence adorned the northwest horizon from the early hours of the morning of May 10.
Stanzin Norla, an engineer at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve, had said, "We were fortunate to witness Aurora activities on our all-sky camera during regular telescope observations."
He described how a faint crimson luminescence graced the horizon, vividly captured by a DSLR camera stationed at the reserve. Dorje Angchuk, an engineer at the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, identified the event as a stable auroral red arc, a rarity in the Ladakh skies, distinguished by its enduring presence over several hours.
Aurora lights witnessed in India 🇮🇳
Aurora lights were seen in Hanle, Ladakh, providing insight on incredible geomagnetic storm
Stable Auroral Red Arcs (SAR arcs) captured from Hanle Dark Sky Reserve, UT Ladakh, on 11.05.24 at 0100 hrs. It is a very rare phenomenon. pic.twitter.com/ZfYvw22OaV