On the evening of January 19, residents of several regions of Ukraine witnessed a rare natural phenomenon for the country - the aurora borealis, which arose as a result of a strong solar flare and the rapid arrival of charged particles to the Earth. The sky glowed in pink and green colors.
This was reported by Ukrainians on social networks and the Telegram channel UST | Kosmos, which talks about space phenomena.
The glow was noticed by residents of different regions of the country: Sumy, Chernihiv, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv and even Mykolaiv Regions.
Photos of the unusual celestial phenomenon were actively distributed on social networks.
The active phase of the northern lights lasted approximately from 09:15 pm to 09:45 pm, after which another wave of glow began.
The aurora borealis was the result of a strong magnetic storm
The Telegram public "Universe in Your Pocket", which publishes astronomical facts, reported that the Earth was covered by a strong radiation storm of the S4 level. It can lead to disruptions in radio communications and the operation of navigation systems, and also poses a risk to satellites in polar orbits.
What are auroras
The aurora borealis is a beautiful glow in the night sky, which can usually be seen near the North or South Pole of the Earth.
It occurs when charged particles from the Sun reach the Earth and, under the influence of the magnetic field, are directed towards the poles. There they collide with gases in the upper layers of the atmosphere, which is why the sky begins to glow in green, red or purple colors.
During strong magnetic storms, the aurora borealis can sometimes be seen much further south - even in countries where it usually does not appear.
As a reminder, in 2025, NASA astronaut Don Pettit posted a video of the aurora borealis online, taken from aboard the International Space Station. The footage shows waves of aurora caused by the interaction of the solar wind with oxygen in the upper atmosphere. The station was flying over the waters between Australia and Antarctica at the time.
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