Northern lights prospects becoming regular in Ukraine: Insights from National Academy of Sciences
The northern lights appeared on November 5 over several regions at once (photo: Facebook.com/Andriy Gavrilyuk)
On November 5, Ukrainians observed blood-red northern lights in several regions at once. This phenomenon is not typical for Ukraine, but this year it appeared for the second time - in April it appeared in the sky over the Kharkiv region.
The head of the laboratory of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ivan Kryachko, talked about why the northern lights over Ukraine were blood-red and whether this phenomenon would become common for Ukrainians.
Why the color of the aurora borealis was blood-red
"Usually the color of the northern lights is green-red, so the red glow over some regions of Ukraine is almost its typical color. It is produced by atomic oxygen," says the scientist.
The astronomer explained that the northern lights appear due to the great activity of the Sun. When an explosion occurs on it, a cloud of particles flies into interplanetary space. A part enters the Earth's magnetosphere, but the magnetic field filters out most of these particles, but some can penetrate into the atmosphere and excite gas atoms - this is how the glow appears. Sometimes it can reach the latitude of Kyiv.
"The activity of the Sun increases gradually, not all at once, so it is already significantly more active now than 5 years ago, but the peak of activity, according to forecasts, will be next year. Therefore, there will be more such glows in the coming year, but it is difficult to say exactly how much," adds Kryachko.
Northern lights on November 5 (photo: Facebook.com/Tak liubliu toi Lviv, shcho brakuie my sliv)
Northern lights over Ukraine (photo: t.me/kievreal1)
At the same time, the scientist adds that the northern lights will not become a permanent phenomenon in Ukraine.
"It is difficult to predict its appearance with an accuracy of up to a few days because astronomers cannot predict flares and emissions of substances on the Sun - which is the root cause of a geomagnetic storm and, therefore, the aurora borealis. But, if such an event occurred, it is especially strong, and the flow of particles from it is aimed at the Earth, then we can say that in a few hours or a day, there will be a geomagnetic storm and northern lights," says the astronomer.
Why the northern lights were not visible from the entire territory of Ukraine
On November 5, the northern lights were observed in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Kherson regions.
"Why it was not visible in the rest of the territory of Ukraine is a difficult question. Many factors affect this, in particular the state of the atmosphere, and the presence of clouds. The glow of the components of the atmosphere (oxygen, nitrogen) occurs at an altitude of 60 to 100 kilometers, therefore, conditionally, the glow can be over the Kyiv region, and the inhabitants of the regions adjacent to it can see it," Kryachko explains.
Northern lights over Ukraine on November 5 (photo: Facebook.com/Andrii Havrilyuk)
Read also how the forecaster and astronomer explained the causes of the northern lights over Ukraine.
