New Delhi: The night sky over Hanle, Ladakh, is generally clear and ink-black with only far-off stars breaking it. However, on January 19 and 20, people
living there and astronomers could see something that is not common. There was a rich red spread of light on the horizon, illumination in one of the most obscure Indian skies.
Photographs were immediately circulated, and people called it the Indian Northern Lights. Scientists, however, see something more serious. Extreme solar activity caused the crimson auroras, and this is an indication that the Sun is in a volatile phase. These occurrences do not simply paint the sky. They are capable of interfering with satellites, navigation and even power grids on the earth.
Solar blast that reached Earth in just 25 hours
The abnormal showing succeeded a strong X-class solar burst on January 18. The eruption released a huge coronal mass ejection, a rapidly moving cloud of magnetised plasma. It accelerated towards Earth at an almost speed of 1,700 kilometres per second and reached it in less than 25 hours.
As the particles struck the magnetic field of the earth, it caused geomagnetic storm G4, which is one of the strongest types. The excited oxygen atoms were able to move over 300 kilometres above the planet, which created the red auroras that were observed in Hanle. Only the upper parts of these curtains of the sky are seen at lower latitudes such as Ladakh; hence, the glow was reddish rather than green.
Scientists add that these are increasingly becoming frequent as the Sun is heading towards solar maximum.
Why India’s digital systems are exposed
There was also an S4 severe radiation storm, which directed high-energy protons towards the earth. According to data recorded by the Aditya-L1 mission of the ISRO, the magnetic shield of the earth was squeezed by the solar blast itself, and it exposed geostationary satellites to the strong winds of the sun for a moment.
Power lines can become subject to electrical current due to strong geomagnetic storms, and this increases the chances of blackouts. They also warm and swell the upper atmosphere of the earth, creating more drag on satellites and pulling them off course. All these include GPS signals, banking networks, and communication services. In this storm, the astronauts in the International Space Station were advised to seek shelter because the levels of radiation were high.
The stakes are high in the case of a country that is fast establishing digital infrastructures.
Building Early warnings and stronger defences
India is currently enhancing space weather surveillance. The Aditya-L1 serves as an early warning station off the L1 Lagrange point; the scientists can get up to 48 hours of warning before the solar storms strike the earth.
That lead time enables the satellite operators to enter spacecraft into safe mode. The loads can also be rebalanced by the power grid managers to minimise the possibility of damaging the transformers. Engineers are on the ground installing sensors to monitor currents induced on the ground by geomagnetism in real-time.
To further secure the satellite readings, the Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle provides extra security with the ground measurements.
Protecting Hanle’s darkness is part of national security
The event has given a new impetus to the focus on the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve, which is the first formal dark sky sanctuary in India. It has a perfect environment that is conducive to the identification of minor alterations in the upper atmosphere.
Jeopardised by increased tourism and light pollution. Losing the darkness of Hanle, scientists say, would result in the loss of some very important early-warning period of space weather.
The red sky of Ladakh was magnificent. They were also a signal. With the Sun becoming increasingly active, the future of the Indian technology-intensive nation relies on the capability of the country to prepare against storms starting 150 million kilometres away.
