@ricardotakamura

Aurora in Brazil? Not everything that glows in the sky is an aurora. Recently, an image of a greenish sky went viral, suggesting it could be an aurora visible from Brazil. The phenomenon is real, but it wasn’t an aurora. What appeared in those images is airglow. These photos were taken in Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, in Bolivia, between the Atacama Desert and the Uyuni Salt Flats. That night, the sky showed an intense airglow, enhanced by strong electrical activity from a distant storm on the horizon. Airglow is a natural emission of light from the upper atmosphere, caused by chemical reactions. It can be influenced by atmospheric dynamics, distant storms, and also by solar activity. In truly dark places, far from light pollution, this glow becomes visible to the naked eye, often in green or reddish tones. It’s more subtle than an aurora, but just as fascinating. And a reminder that when the night is still dark enough, the sky reveals layers many people have never seen.

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