Bloody sky over Ukraine: why the aurora borealis appeared and whether it poses a danger
20 January 11:27
Tonight, a rare phenomenon for our region appeared over many cities in Ukraine – the aurora borealis. Many people noticed the magical pink and purple glow that gave the night sky a mystical appearance. However, behind this beauty lie serious processes that can affect our lives. "Komersant Ukrainian" investigated what the aurora borealis is and why it was seen in Ukraine.
The aurora borealis, or “aurora,” usually appears at the Earth’s north and south poles, where the planet’s magnetic field interacts with charged particles coming from the Sun.
During this process, oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere begin to glow in different colors—from green to red and purple.
However, seeing this phenomenon in Ukraine is a real rarity. On the night of January 20, 2026, residents of many regions of Ukraine witnessed a rare phenomenon — a bright aurora. The sky turned pink and green over the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Lviv, and other regions.
The cause was a powerful X9.5-class solar flare, accompanied by a massive coronal mass ejection directed directly at Earth, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA).
It was this storm that allowed the aurora borealis to “travel” so far south.
As a result, residents of most regions of Ukraine observed a bright pink and crimson sky at night. Scientists explain this palette by the intense interaction of solar particles with the atmosphere at different altitudes.
Are the northern lights dangerous?
Although the aurora borealis is a beautiful sight, not everything is so cloudless. Such phenomena are often accompanied by geomagnetic storms, which can have serious consequences for technology. This applies to satellites, communication and navigation systems, as well as electrical networks.
Significant disruptions in shortwave radio communications and reduced accuracy of GPS navigation systems have already been recorded. Satellite operators are forced to put their devices into safety mode, and airlines are changing flight routes to avoid polar regions due to the risk of radiation exposure to crews.
For Ukraine, the situation could be especially critical due to the state of its power grid. The occurrence of induced currents in trunk networks during a storm creates the risk of additional emergency shutdowns.
In addition, studies show that such storms can affect the planet’s ozone layer. For example, during recent solar flares, local destruction of the ozone layer at altitudes above 100 km was recorded.
It is also known that magnetic storms can affect human health, especially those suffering from chronic heart or vascular diseases. Therefore, during such phenomena, particularly sensitive people should pay attention to their well-being.
How to see the northern lights in Ukraine?
According to space weather monitoring data, the magnetic storm that caused the aurora borealis over Ukraine last night remains intense. During the day, the intensity of geomagnetic disturbances will remain at G3-G4 (Kp index 7-8), which means that this phenomenon may recur on the night of January 21.
The highest probability of seeing the aurora again is predicted between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., provided there is no cloud cover.
If you want to see the aurora borealis, it is best to go outside the city, away from light pollution. That is where you can see the brightest shades of this phenomenon.
Don’t forget to bring your camera — the pink and purple glow in the dark sky makes for impressive photos that will take social media by storm.
