The phenomenon called northern lights, or aurora realis, was observed in Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, on Nov. 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Rikubetsu Space and Earth Science Museum)(Kyodo)
SAPPORO (Kyodo) — The phenomenon known as aurora borealis or northern lights was observed in parts of Hokkaido on Wednesday night as a geomagnetic storm caused by increased solar activity hit Earth.
Rikubetsu Space and Earth Science Museum, a space observatory in Rikubetsu in Japan’s northernmost prefecture, said red auroras appeared in the lower part of the northern sky after sunset.
A public observatory in Nayoro, in northern Hokkaido, reported photographing the rare spectacle.
Northern lights typically appear between the latitudes of 60 and 70 degrees in the northern hemisphere after increased solar activity. Their colors vary depending on latitude.
The observatories in Hokkaido are located at roughly 43 to 44 degrees in latitude.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted in a post on X that severe geomagnetic storm conditions, reaching the second-highest level of its five-tier scale, will occur on Thursday.
AloJapan.com