The Northern Lights were spotted in Hokkaido and other parts of northern Japan this weekend after a powerful solar storm, adding a glow to the starry night in areas where the aurora is rarely seen.
The aurora borealis was spotted in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, including in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture, where a major earthquake occurred on January 1, local media reported.
One of the lucky few who was able to take photos of the Northern Lights was Yasuo Sano, the former director of the Kitasubaru Astronomical Observatory in Nayoro, Hokkaido.
“I was fascinated,” said Sano, who last observed the Northern Lights in Japan more than 20 years ago and took the photos on Saturday in Nayoro.
In those two decades, camera technology and other observation equipment have evolved, allowing people to better capture the moment, he said.
“I observed and photographed the low-latitude aurora with my own eyes in 2003 and 2001, almost twenty years ago. It was even more incredible this time – something I’ve never experienced in my life, something beyond anything I’d ever seen before,” Sano said.
The Northern Lights in Nayoro on Saturday | Thanks to Yasuo Sano
The Northern Lights in Nayoro on Saturday | Thanks to Yasuo Sano
