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Home / New Zealand

Spectacular Southern Lights, Aurora Australis set to light up South Island tonight

By John Lewis
Otago Daily Times·
15 May, 2019 04:26 AM3 mins to read

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Another from Saturday night at Antarctica NZ Scott Base. Mt Erebus below with the milky way above the aurora australis. Photo / Jonny Harrison
Another from Saturday night at Antarctica NZ Scott Base. Mt Erebus below with the milky way above the aurora australis. Photo / Jonny Harrison

Another from Saturday night at Antarctica NZ Scott Base. Mt Erebus below with the milky way above the aurora australis. Photo / Jonny Harrison

If the clouds part for long enough tonight, people along the Otago and Southland coastline may be in for a spectacular Aurora Australis light show.

University of Otago Physics Department head Professor Craig Rodger said earlier this week, there were two coronal mass ejections (CME) on the Sun (each a day apart), which fired significant amounts of plasma towards Earth.

The first of the two ejections hit Earth's magnetic field on Tuesday night, creating spectacular auroras on Stewart Island, the ODT report.

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It is expected to be visible again between 9pm tonight and 3am on Thursday.

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"It's generally easiest to see the Aurora Australis when you're coastal, away from city lights, and you can look south, low on the horizon, and not be blocked by other land masses.

"There is certainly a possibility, that if it's a big enough event and the aurora gets high enough in the sky, you could see it from anywhere in Otago and Southland.''

He said the aurora should be able to be seen with the naked eye, but the colours were unlikely to be seen without a camera.

"The Sun may give us a stunning display and you'll be able to see colour, but I can't promise that. It's more common that it will be a marginal display where human beings will only be able to see it in black and white.

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"It's obviously in colour, but it's not strong enough to trigger the colour receptors in our eyes.''

The major problem would be the weather, he said. If it was cloudy, it would be difficult to see the aurora.

Hagglund tracked vehicle under a little aurora @AntarcticaNZ Scott Base Saturday night. #aurora #southernlights pic.twitter.com/LkUQH2j5I1

— Jonny Harrison (@JonnyHarrisonNZ) May 14, 2019

Another from Saturday night @AntarcticaNZ Scott Base. Mt Erebus below with the milky way above the aurora australis pic.twitter.com/x1fb2JMdjf

— Jonny Harrison (@JonnyHarrisonNZ) May 13, 2019

Time lapse of last nights aurora australis @antarcticanz Scott Base. My Terror seen on the horizon pic.twitter.com/lAFJvCA8TX

— Jonny Harrison (@JonnyHarrisonNZ) May 12, 2019

Aurora australis (southern lights) seen last night @AntarcticaNZ Scott Base. So bright at times that the ground appeared green. Straight from camera #aurora #southernlights #canonnz pic.twitter.com/YC3b2diGTf

— Jonny Harrison (@JonnyHarrisonNZ) May 12, 2019

Prof Rodger expected the second ejection to arrive sometime early on Friday morning.

"There could be more action tomorrow night but because it is a bit further out, it is harder to predict its exact arrival time.

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Travel

How to capture a perfect aurora photograph

16 Sep 09:00 PM

"We're asking Mother Nature to behave, which she's not very good at.

"But if she plays by the rules, we should have an auroral display on Thursday night and Friday morning.''

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