Northern lights illuminate the Swiss night sky
Northern lights were spotted from Säntis, a mountain peak in northeastern Switzerland, on Monday night. A camera captured the colourful natural spectacle between the gaps in the clouds at 1.50am, according to the Swiss federal weather service.
The last time auroras were seen in Switzerland was on November 5, 2023, the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) announced on the online platform X, formerly Twitter, early on Monday morning.
+ Northern lights dazzle over Swiss Alps
Auroras are rare in the Alpine region, according to a statement from MeteoSwiss. They are normally seen in the polar region.
The colourful spectacle is caused by an interaction between charged particles from space and the Earth’s atmosphere. It is triggered by the so-called solar wind. This consists of charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, which are ejected from the sun.
Green northern lights are often caused by interaction with oxygen in higher atmospheric layers, while red or violet colours can result from interaction with nitrogen.
Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/mga
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