Mysterious Red Lights Over Japan Spark Controversy — Scientists Now Know Why

Red lights over Japan have long attracted attention because they appear in places where vivid auroras are not expected to dominate the sky. In recent observations, that mystery became sharper: the red auroras were unusually tall, reaching much higher than scientists would normally expect during storms that were not considered extreme.

A new study by researchers from Hokkaido University and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology suggests the explanation may lie in “hidden” solar-storm power. The team found that red auroras over Japan reached altitudes of about 500 to 800 kilometers, showing that some storms may be depositing more energy into Earth’s upper atmosphere than standard measurements reveal.