On the evening of January 19, 2026, an aurora borealis was observed and photographed in the Dolomites. Here’s what happened, how the phenomenon is explained and where it is possible to observe the Northern Lights.
In the on the evening of Friday 19 January 2026 the sky above Cadore showed an unusual and spectacular colour. The images were captured by Belvedere del Roccolo di Sant’Alipio, a natural balcony in the heart of the Dolomites, overlooking the villages of Centro Cadore and on the group of Marmarole, mountains recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Site.
In the photograph (taken by Alessandra Masi, who in the past has seen one of her shots chosen by NASA for Apod) we observe a diffuse red brightness in the sky, accompanied by a green band on the horizon, an appearance that cannot be explained by common meteorological phenomena. It is an aurora borealis, an event normally visible only in regions close to the Arctic Circle, but which on this occasion reached as far as the Italian Alps (in the past it has happened very rarely).
What happened: the activity of the Sun
In the days preceding the event, the Sun went through a phase of intense activity, emitting a large quantity of charged particles through a solar storm. When these particles reached Earth, they interacted with the Earth’s magnetic field, giving rise to a geomagnetic storm.
This type of phenomenon can extend the area in which the Northern Lights appear, making them visible even at much lower latitudes than normal, as in the case of Northern Italy and the Dolomites.
What is the Northern Lights
The Northern Lights are a luminous phenomenon that occurs in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Put very simply: the Sun emits charged particles that travel into space and, once they reach the Earth, these are deflected by the magnetic field towards the polar regions. Here they come into contact with the gases present in the atmosphere, especially oxygen and nitrogen, which react and emit light.
The result is a light show similar to that of neon lamps, in which energy is transformed into colour.
Because the sky appears red and green
The colors of the aurora depend on the type of gas involved and the altitude at which the interaction occurs. The green color is produced by oxygen at lower altitudes, while the red, particularly evident in the images taken from Cadore, is caused by oxygen located at higher altitudes in the atmosphere. In some cases, purple or bluish shades may also appear, linked to the presence of nitrogen.
The predominance of red indicates that the aurora was observed from a great distance, a typical characteristic of more intense events.
Where the Northern Lights can be observed
Normally the Northern Lights are visible in regions close to the Arctic Circle, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
However, during particularly strong solar storms, the phenomenon can extend southwards and become observable also in central Europe and, more rarely, in the Italian Alps.
To be able to see them, some favorable conditions are essential: clear skies, absence of clouds and little light pollution, typical characteristics of mountain areas such as Cadore.
A rare and significant event
The Northern Lights observed on the evening of January 19, 2026 over the Dolomites is a rare event for Italy and represents a concrete demonstration of the influence that the Sun’s activity has on our planet. Geomagnetic storms, in addition to creating spectacular visual effects, can also interfere with satellites, GPS systems and radio communications, which is why they are constantly monitored by scientists.
