Spectacular aurora australis thrills sky gazers across south-east Australia
Spectacular aurora australis thrills sky gazers across south-east Australia
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The green and purple southern lights show was so strong it appeared over Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and NSW. South-eastern Australia was treated to a dazzling natural light show to begin 2025. A vibrant aurora australis was visible to the naked eye on New Year’s Day in Tasmania and parts of Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales.
Streaks of green and purple southern lights were visible from 11.30pm on Wednesday through to early Thursday morning. The clear weather, along with a severe geomagnetic storm, produced the spectacular light show, with users sharing photos of the experience on social media.
The aurora was so strong it appeared over Hobart, despite the city lights that usually prevent such phenomena from being seen. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email. Prof Michael Brown from Monash University’s school of physics and astronomy said the aurora came at the peak of a 12-year cycle.
“It’s not that common an occurrence, but it’s been happening a lot over the past year,” he said. “The sun has a natural cycle of 11 years, roughly, and we’re at the peak of that cycle right now, the solar maximum. And this means a lot of solar storms, a lot of solar flares, and these produce more aurora than normal.”.
