EDITORIALS
Aurora Borealis Observed in Hokkaido, Japan! Impressive time-lapse video of low-latitude aurora borealis staining the winter night sky.
On December 1, 2023, "I saw the Northern Lights!" and many reports of sightings from all over Hokkaido poured in on SNS, with many people expressing their surprise and excitement at the unexpectedly fantastic celestial show.
Ryo Arai (@ryo_pippuskiing), who observed the aurora borealis in Pibu Town, captured the moving moment in a time-lapse video. The red aurora shimmering under a twinkling starry sky gives a sense of fantastic beauty different from that of photographs.
Low latitude aurora observed throughout Hokkaido tonight
- Ryo Arai_Former public relations manager (Ryo) of Pippu town of skiing and strawberries (@ryo_pippuskiing) December 1, 2023
It was also seen in the town of Pibu, so I made a time-lapse of it.
When it was shining the strongest, you could see it glowing slightly red even with the naked eye!
No really, it was very impressive... pic.twitter.com/48FJNHJkCt
Quote from @ryo_pippuskiing's post
We asked Mr. Arai, who witnessed a celestial show that is not often encountered, about his impressions at the time of the photo shoot.
I was told that I might be able to see the aurora borealis, and the weather was fine, so I was just hoping to get a good shot of it. I had no idea that I would actually be able to take pictures of the aurora.
I will never forget how excited I was the moment I saw the aurora on the monitor.
Auroras are a phenomenon seen when plasma generated by an explosion (solar flare) on the surface of the sun reaches the earth. Unlike the green aurora seen in the Arctic and Northern Europe, the aurora is seen as a red aurora in low latitude areas such as Hokkaido.
The aurora seen over a wide area from north to east of Hokkaido is believed to have been caused by a solar flare that occurred on Wednesday, November 29, and is likely to be visible in Hokkaido until the next year due to the fact that the sun has been in an active cycle in recent years.
This is the first time in several years that the Northern Lights have been observed in Hokkaido, and if you are lucky enough to see them, it will be a memory of a lifetime.
