TL;DR – Stunning, isn’t it?
Netizens have reported seeing the ‘northern lights’ in Pulau Pangkor and Langkawi!? Psst, borders are going to reopen soon! Beginning Apr 1, foreigners entering Malaysia with valid travel documents do not need to undergo quarantine, so long as they are fully vaccinated. A holiday to Malaysia to see the ‘aurora’, maybe?
This tweet by netizen Zareen Sejahan has gotten other curious Malaysians wondering. “It looks like the northern lights to us but that is kinda impossible,” she shared.
Zareen also tagged the official Twitter handle of the Malaysian Meteorological Department.
Kan tu dari boat pancing udang… kat langkawi penuh mcm tu https://t.co/S3vD4GOPoe pic.twitter.com/lNM4pmDjv7
— fazz (@FazreenIdham) March 8, 2022
Stunning indeed… But soon after, her bubble burst.
Netizen @FazreenIdham replied to her that the light source actually came from the squid jigging activity carried out by local fishermen. Not aurora lah… The ‘aurora’ sighting is apparently very common though.
Now, squid jigging is a fishing method where vessels use large overhead lights to illuminate the water and attract squid. Squid jigging vessels have overhead lights which illuminate the water and attract the squid, which then gathers in the shaded area under the boat. The squids are caught using barbless lures on monofilament fishing lines which are jigged up and down in the water by machines.
According to reports, the amazing jade green sky and waters as seen in the photos are likely light pollution generated from the overhead lamps… Well, that was disappointing. It could have made for one more reason – other than good food, cheaper massages, lower-priced petrol – for Singaporeans to head over to Malaysia come April!