Rare Northern Lights Dazzle Swiss Skies as Cameras Capture the Display
On the night of 10–11 October, a rare display of the northern lights appeared over large parts of Switzerland, with curtains of green and purple dancing across the sky and residents sharing photographs of the spectacle. Several MeteoSwiss webcams also captured the phenomenon — visible auroras are uncommon at Switzerland's mid-latitudes.
Meteorologist Daniel Gerstgrasser posted about the sightings on X. Auroras are caused by heightened solar activity: charged particles from the solar wind and coronal mass ejections collide with gases in Earth's upper atmosphere and glow. When solar activity is strong enough, the aurora's visible zone expands far south of the polar regions.
With the Sun near the peak of its activity cycle, central Europe has recorded multiple aurora sightings over the past two years. The Swiss Alps, with their altitude and low light pollution, are favoured observation spots.
Meteorologists say solar activity will remain high in the coming months, so similar displays remain possible on clear, moonless nights. 11 October was a Sunday with no nationwide political agenda in Switzerland; this item was among the Swiss stories published by national news outlets that day.
Sources: Keystone-SDA and The Geneva Times reporting (11 October).
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 北极光（资料图，摄于瑞典阿比斯库上空），Andrea Ullius from Chur, Schweiz 摄，CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）
