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Press Releases

DATE2024.10.31 #Press Releases

Solving the Mystery of the Color of the Aurora Borealis Appearing in Japan in May 2024

~     Analysis of photos submitted from all over Japan ~

Summary

A research group led by Associate Professor Ryuho Kataoka of the National Institute of Polar Research analyzed 179 aurora photographs taken by citizens from a wide area of Japan on May 11, 2024. As a result, they found that the aurora could be observed even in low-latitude areas such as Hyogo Prefecture because the aurora was bright at an altitude of 1,000 km, which is higher than usual. The color of the aurora seen from Japan was magenta, not red as is common in low-latitude auroras, because the blue scattered light of sunlight was visible simultaneously.


Figure: a: aurora photo taken from Aomori (photo by KAGAYA); b: Hokkaido; c: Chubu; d: Tohoku (provided by a citizen).

Project Researcher Yuki Nakamura, a member of the Seki Laboratory, Department of Earth and Planetary Science participated in this research result.

Links: National Institute of Polar Research, The Institute of Statistical Mathematics

Journals

Journal name
Scientific Reports
Title of paper