Sign Up
..... Connect Australia with the world.
Categories

Posted: 2024-05-12 05:02:43

Missed out on last night's aurora australis light show? 

Fortunately the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has confirmed the southern lights should be visible once again tonight. 

Here's what you need to know. 

Why will the lights still be visible? 

According to the BOM, the geomagnetic storms that have caused the aurora australis over the weekend are forecast to continue. 

University of Tasmania physics professor Andrew Cole says while the peak has passed, another light show may be visible tonight.

"Because things are happening right now during daylight I would start looking as soon as it gets dark after sunset, and just find an area that's free from obstructions on the southern horizon, generally free from city lights," he said.

ANU astrophysicist Brad Tucker says the Southern Lights may be visible thought until the early hours of Monday.

"The aurora have been quite extreme. Often, given that the Sun has been quite active lately, you can see it decently in Tasmania," he said.

"But here, large parts of Australia — in some places it's predicted to reach as far north as Queensland, which is fairly rare."

A red and orange glow is seen on the horizon of a starry night sky with street lights in the foreground

The aurora was seen on Queensland's Keppel Coast.(Supplied: Glenn Adamus)

Geomagnetic storms? 

The Australian Space Weather Alert System says: "Coronal mass ejections occur when large clouds of plasma and magnetic field erupt in the Sun's outer atmosphere."

When the mass ejections hit Earth, they cause geomagnetic storms.

Geomagnetic storms are a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave.

The result of this a natural light display of bright colours and shapes in the sky.

View More
  • 0 Comment(s)
Captcha Challenge
Reload Image
Type in the verification code above