Solar storm: Rare auroral arc illuminates Ladakh sky

Solar storms, also known as coronal mass ejections, originate from the Sun’s AR13664 region which is 16 times the diameter of Earth

The dark sky over parts of Ladakh was bathed in a rare, stable, auroral red arc, creating a mesmerising crimson glow. This spectacle at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in the high Himalayas was triggered by potent solar magnetic storms directed towards Earth.

Since Wednesday, the Sun has been emitting powerful solar flares, leading to at least seven plasma outbursts. These solar storms, also known as coronal mass ejections, originate from the Sun’s AR13664 region which is 16 times the diameter of Earth. Each of these eruptions can contain billions of tons of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona.

This region has been the source of several high-energy solar flares, some of which are hurtling towards Earth at a speed of 800 km/s, according to scientists at Kolkata’s Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences in India (CESSI). As per the US National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these flares are part of the solar activity that’s increasing as the Sun nears the peak of its 11-year cycle.