Northern Lights in India? Rare Aurora display could illuminate Ladakh skies tonight

A rare skywatching event may unfold over India tonight as a powerful solar storm races toward Earth, raising the possibility of the Northern Lights becoming visible in parts of Ladakh. The spectacle is being driven by a coronal mass ejection (CME), a huge cloud of charged particles blasted into space by the Sun after a series of intense solar eruptions. As these particles collide with Earth’s magnetic field, they can trigger geomagnetic storms strong enough to produce auroras far beyond their usual polar regions.

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Where will it be observed?

While the Northern Lights are typically visible in destinations such as Alaska, Norway, Iceland and northern Canada, astronomers say the ongoing geomagnetic activity could push the phenomenon to unusually low latitudes. For India, the best chance of witnessing the display lies in Ladakh’s high-altitude Hanle region, home to one of the world’s highest astronomical observatories.

If conditions remain favourable, observers in Hanle and nearby Himalayan areas could spot faint red, pink or purple hues glowing along the northern horizon. The colours may not be as dramatic as the bright green curtains often seen in Arctic countries, but even a subtle auroral glow would mark an extraordinary event for Indian skywatchers.

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When to watch

A G3, or strong, geomagnetic storm watch has been issued by the Space Weather Prediction Centre, with brief G4, or severe, periods possible.

Between 11:30 PM IST today and 2:30 AM IST on Tuesday, June 9, the storm peaks. A geomagnetic storm's intensity is rated on a scale of G1 to G5, where G1 is considered small, and G5 is the type of catastrophic occurrence that caused power outages and blazing auroras over India in May 2024. This storm also disrupted the internet and caused the entire nation to gaze up at the sky in amazement. The forecast for tonight is G3, which is considered strong, with brief G4 periods likely.

The possibility is particularly exciting because auroras are extremely rare in India. Although geomagnetic storms occasionally create favourable conditions, factors such as cloud cover, atmospheric clarity and light pollution often prevent visibility.