The skies above southern Australia and New Zealand glowed in technicolour on Tuesday night as the aurora australis was on full display.
Observations of the spectacular light phenomenon – caused by particles from geomagnetic storms entering the Earth’s atmosphere – were recorded from Tasmania and Melbourne to Western Australia and beyond, where onlookers watched bands of green, gold, red and orange transform the evening sky.
The spectacle came after Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology issued an aurora watch notice on Monday, stating that a sequence of large ejections of plasma from the sun’s corona, known as coronal mass expulsions, were expected to hit the Earth’s atmosphere at intervals from Monday until Wednesday.
When those charged particles connect with the Earth’s magnetic field, they create stunning displays at the poles known as auroras, with the bureau forecasting possible “significant geomagnetic activity and visible auroras during local nighttime hours”.
By about 9pm on Tuesday, keen observers were treated to the results of those coronal expulsions:
The bureau’s senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said the display on Tuesday was moderate to strong and could be seen as far north as southern New South Wales.
“We’re pretty lucky that we have quite a bit of dark sky in Australia and the clouds cleared up a little bit so we were able to spot it across a number of locations,” she said.
Aurora sightings were also expected on Wednesday evening but only “really far south,” she said.
Had to get home to watch the Boomers, but here is one of the shots with some nice beams. Unedited. #auroraaustralis #southernlights pic.twitter.com/c2ITmtv8d5
— Tequila Scooter Miss 🤷 (@tazmos7) July 30, 2024
Even the Aurora Australis last night turned out in Green and Gold for our Olympians!
— Julie Collins (@JulieCollinsMP) July 30, 2024
Can anyone guess where in Franklin this photo was taken? pic.twitter.com/RemU2DUS37
The Springs, Kunanyi. 30 July 2024. 8.55-9.05pm.
— Jhon Henry Osorio orozco (@astrosol2024) July 30, 2024
My first ever Aurora photos!, by Ronni Hs,Aurora Australis Tasmania, @GLOBEprogram pic.twitter.com/6zjJhvYSwm
Light pollution, yet I still like this. Aurora Australis, taken right next to Blundstone Arena Tasmania. #tasmania #canon5dmarkii pic.twitter.com/NG0FHQY1p4
— Tasmanian Viking (@TasViking) July 30, 2024
Went hunting for the Aurora Australis tonight and thought we had no luck. Until I looked closer at some of the photos I took. #aurora pic.twitter.com/eZVaP3EA3Q
— Drew Van Schoonhoven (@ScoobyDrewAu) July 30, 2024
7:27 pm Western Australia-looking directly south. We were told to watch for Aurora Australis. The stars here in the Southern Hemisphere are spectacular 💫⭐️💙 pic.twitter.com/8tm2Nc60pt
— JSwaine (@jillian_swaine) July 30, 2024
In May, Australians witnessed one of the most significant displays of the aurora in decades, when the “extreme” celestial show was on view over two nights across the southern hemisphere.
