aurora australis sydney

 

Want to see the southern lights? Tips from an aurora chaser

Aurora Australis has painted the night skies and Australians could be in for more light displays.

Night sky photos featuring pinks, purples and oranges are being shared across social media in Australia thanks to solar-induced magnetic storms.

Aurora Australis, the solar event which takes place in the Southern Hemisphere, brought colours to nighttime photos captured by aurora chasers in the early hours of Friday.

The BOM confirmed aurora sightings were visible in the early hours of Friday across all states and territories except the Northern Territory.

Some, like Melbourne-based aurora chaser Arun Chandran were even able to see some of the colour with the naked eye.

Large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's corona — or Coronial Mass Ejections (CME) as Chandran and other enthusiasts refer to it — indicate the phenomenon may again grace southern skies overnight on Friday.

Current conditions

The Bureau of Meteorology Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre is observing a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm event globally with the Australian region currently recording a strong (G3) storm event.

A BOM spokesperson said it was predicting these geomagnetic conditions may continue until Saturday.

"If current conditions persist, aurora will be visible during local night hours tonight, with the evening hours likely to be most favourable," they said.

"Should forecast conditions eventuate, aurora sightings may be possible as far north as dark-sky locations in Perth and Sydney, but likely less intense than what was observed early this morning."

Aurora chasing

Chandran, who works in IT, became interested in auroras a few years ago and started a Facebook group about Aurora Australis, ahead of the light show that dazzled skies in May.

"I have another Facebook page called Explore Melbourne and there were a lot of people wanting to find out where to go to see it and there was a lot of knowledge people wanted," he said.

Chandran shared information from BOM and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the page and answered questions about auroras.

Now his group has 50,000 members and he has published a book about Aurora Australis.

Chandran said it is the elusiveness of auroras that is almost spellbinding and captures people's interest.

"It's the elusiveness, the thrill of the chase, the more you chase auroras, the more you understand the numbers — there's so much uncertainty. Luck matters, even the forecasts the authorities put out, it's just tentative," he said.

Chandran said he enjoys the social element of being part of group watching for an aurora, so enjoys himself even when there ends up being little to see.

And while the most impressive colours in the sky are only seen through a camera, Chandran said on Friday morning "the colours were pretty strong" and he and the group he was with on a Geelong beach were able to see some colour with the naked eye.