Northern Lights Spotted in Japan for the First Time in 20 Years

(SPOT.ph) It's no secret that seeing the aurora borealis is on everybody's bucket list. Imagine the cool green lights magically swirling about in the night sky amidst a blanket of snow. Sounds magical, but for most Filipinos, this requires heading to Nordic and Scandinavian countries and praying to all the gods that you see the rare wonder. In a surprising turn of events this December, the sight is not just confined to the extreme north. Countries near the Philippines, specifically Japan, got a rare aurora borealis sighting—a first in over two decades. Here's what we know about this unique phenomenon.

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Check out Japan's first aurora borealis sighting in 20 years:

Japan's Hokkaido region, in the northern part of the archipelago, bore witness to a surprising and stunning display of the northern lights in the first few days of December. Unlike most auroras in the Northern Hemisphere, which feature a green hue, the Land of the Rising Sun was treated to rare red auroras.

In a report in the Japan Times, staff members of the Rikubetsu, Hokkaido Observatory reported seeing the red lights with their own eyes at around 8 p.m. on December 1, "I didn't think I could see the red lights so clearly with the naked eye," said Takuya Murata, an observatory staff member. "It's very moving."

Auroras are more frequently spotted in regions around the Arctic and the Antarctic, but it isn't uncommon to see them in low-latitude areas such as Hokkaido. This is the first sighting of low-latitude auroras in a while. According to studies done by the Rikubetsu Observatory, this is the first aurora sighting in Japan since 2003.

What causes aurora borealis sightings?

While auroras are observable at night, these wonders are actually caused by the sun. Studies show that auroras happen due to disturbances in the sun that pull on the Earth's magnetic field. Auroras occur when electrons and protons collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere. The beautiful splashes of dancing lights in the sky are actually atomic collisions.

This specific instance of low-latitude auroras has been attributed to a major solar explosion event around the end of November. 

Other aurora borealis sightings near the Philippines:

The aurora borealis sighting in Japan is not a one-off. Other low-latitude Northern Hemisphere countries like China and Mongolia have also reported sightings of the rare red auroras around the same time as Japan. In a report by CGTN,  an aurora sighting was reported in the arctic town of Mohe in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Aside from Mohe, northern Chinese cities, including Beijing and the  Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, also got a dose of the rare low-latitude aurora.

Fingers crossed, these solar events will happen again in the future. This way, travelers in the Philippines can have more accessible options to see the northern lights IRL.

Also read: 10 Visa-Free Countries Filipinos Can Visit for a Snowy Holiday

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