Northern Lights over Pavlodar - scientists explained the cause

Tengrinews.kz — A resident of Kazakhstan has captured the Northern Lights over Pavlodar. The night sky glowed with shades of pink, purple, and green—a rare sight for the region.
"Another dream come true"
The Kazakhstani man posted photos of the unusual phenomenon on Threads. The images show vibrant bursts of color on the horizon.
Screenshot: Threads

"I saw the Northern Lights for the first time today over Pavlodar, looking toward Novosibirsk. Another dream has come true," the photo caption reads.

In the Pavlodar region, such an occurrence is extremely rare, causing the photos of the night sky to go viral and delight social media users.
In the comments, other Kazakhstanis also shared their own unique footage.
Screenshot: Threads
Why the Northern Lights can be seen in Kazakhstan
Although the Northern Lights are strongly associated with polar regions, residents of Kazakhstan have been observing this natural wonder more frequently in recent years. We reached out to specialists at the Institute of Ionosphere to understand why the aurora borealis is becoming a more common sight in Kazakhstan.
Olga Kryakunova, Chief Researcher at the Space Weather Diagnosis and Forecasting Laboratory of the Institute of Ionosphere, Olga Kryakunova explained that the appearance of auroras in middle latitudes is directly linked to geomagnetic conditions.

"Charged particles rarely penetrate middle latitudes, occurring only during major magnetic storms. Furthermore, these auroras are mostly visible against a dark sky. We are currently in the declining phase of solar activity. It is during this phase of the 11-year solar cycle that major magnetic storms occur most frequently," noted Olga Kryakunova.

According to the specialist, this creates the possibility of observing polar auroras even in Kazakhstan, as witnessed in recent years.
What is happening in space right now
According to data from the Institute of Ionosphere's Space Weather Diagnosis and Forecasting Laboratory, solar activity increased last week due to the emergence and rapid development of a new active region on the Sun. Since October 5, seven M-class flares have been recorded. The most powerful of these, an M6.7 flare, occurred on October 8 and triggered a short-term magnetic storm on October 10.
From October 13 to 15, geomagnetic activity may intensify to the level of a magnetic storm. This could be caused by solar wind streams from coronal holes and the ejection of solar plasma following the October 10 flare. For the remainder of the week, geomagnetic conditions are forecast to remain relatively calm.