The Northern Lights were observed in Hokkaido and other parts of northern Japan over the weekend following a powerful solar storm, adding a glow to the starry night in regions where the aurora is rarely seen.
The aurora borealis was observed across Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, including in the Noto region in Ishikawa Prefecture where a major earthquake occurred on Jan. 1, local media reported.
One of the lucky few who were 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 pictures in Nayoro on Saturday.
Over those two decades, camera technology and other observation equipment have evolved, allowing people to better capture the moment, he said.
“I observed with my own eyes and took photos of the aurora at low latitudes in 2003 and 2001, almost 20 years ago. It was even more incredible this time — something I have never experienced in my life, something that’s beyond anything I had ever seen before,” Sano said.
The Northern Lights in Nayoro on Saturday
| Courtesy of Yasuo Sano
The Northern Lights in Nayoro on Saturday
| Courtesy of Yasuo Sano
The Northern Lights in Nayoro on Saturday
| Courtesy of Yasuo Sano