Rare aurora borealis amazes Murcia as vivid colours light night skies.
Photo Credit: @TuiteroSismico / X
THE REGION of Murcia witnessed an incredible phenomenon in the sky on the evening of Monday, January 19. The aurora borealis lit up the sky with bright, vibrant colours, and the Costa Calida was one of the lucky regions to be able to witness it in all its glory.
The aurora borealis, a stunning display of bright lights in the sky moving in wavelike patterns, is caused when particles from the sun, called solar wind, collide with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere. This causes the gases to glow in vibrant colours, creating the breathtaking phenomenon that Costa Calida witnessed on Monday.
What causes the aurora borealis
The colours of the phenomenon are primarily green, red, blue and purple. In Costa Calida, the colours appeared more red because of the curvature of the Earth, leading the region to witness the “upper” portion of the phenomenon, where particles from the sun interact with oxygen at extremely high altitudes (200 to 300 kilometres or more).
When these colours appear in Murcia, or other southernmost parts of Europe, it is usually due to strong geomagnetic storms caused by intense solar activity. Costa Calida had particularly good conditions for viewing on Monday night, with clear winter skies, low humidity in the inland regions, and reduced cloud cover during the nighttime.
Tips on how to view this incredible sight in Murcia
The key to witnessing this beautiful phenomenon the next time it comes around to Murcia is trying to find a place with as little light pollution as possible. It also helps to travel to a place without trees or tall buildings in the way of the sky, and allow your eyes to adjust to the dark for some time before the phenomenon is set to appear. This way, those in smaller towns along the Costa or inland will have more luck seeing these stunning and otherworldly colours in the stars.
Read more news from Costa Calida here.