Antarctica skies turn pink & purple post Tonga volcano eruption; Know why

The skies above Antarctica were seen in stunning shades of pink and purple due to the "afterglow effect" of the Tonga volcano eruption. The mesmerising images were captured by New Zealand science technician Stuart Shaw, who is stationed at Scott Base in Antarctica. The phenomenon has been previously observed in other regions like New Zealand in June caused by aerosols in the stratosphere due to the Tonga volcanic eruption that happened in January. 

Scientists working in Antarctica reported the phenomenon to New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospherics (NIWA). Stuart Shaw has stressed that Antarctica is "nearly continuously dark, except for a slight nautical twilight at around midday which means the horizon is faintly visible in good conditions," according to a media release issued by NIWA. 

He said that they have seen "quite a show" this year and added that they ran outside to capture the amazing colours of the sky. Calling it "incredible", Stuart Shaw further said, "Believe it or not, I haven’t edited these shots either, they are pretty much as we saw it." 

NIWA forecaster Nava Fedaeff has said that the data shows an abundance of aerosols in the stratosphere between 15-24 km above Antarctica which were not present before the eruption, according to the media release issued by NIWA. Fedaeff stated that, "Stratospheric aerosols can circulate the globe for months after a volcanic eruption, scattering and bending light" as the sun rises below the horizon resulting in the sky turning in colours of pink, blue, purple and violet.

He called these volcanic twilights "afterglows" and stressed that the colour and intensity are based on the amount of haze and cloudiness along the path that light takes to reach the stratosphere. 

Netizens mesmerised by Antarctica skies  

The phenomenon of the sky turning in shades of pink and purple captured the attention of netizens. Netizens took to the microblogging site, Twitter, to share images and share their views. One user wrote, "The sky turned pink due to the eruption of a volcano in Antarctica." Another user tweeted, "The sky over Antarctica turned bright pink due to the eruption of an underwater volcano This effect is caused by a large amount of aerosols in the stratosphere."

(Image: @NiwaWeather/Twitter)