Tonight’s Chance to Catch the Southern Lights
Australia is gearing up for another stunning night in the sky, and it looks like the Aurora Australis may be putting on an encore performance. Just a few weeks ago, many people were treated to ribbons of colour glowing across the horizon, and now the atmosphere seems ready to blush all over again. A severe geomagnetic storm is sweeping past Earth, and conditions have been flagged by the Bureau of Meteorology as ideal for the Southern Lights to make a return tonight.
If you’re wondering what actually causes this magical light show, it all starts with the Sun. When charged particles are pushed out during a coronal mass ejection, they travel all the way to Earth and collide with our magnetic field. Those particles then interact with gases high in the atmosphere, and that’s when the colours ignite—those soft pinks, greens, violets and reds that ripple like luminous curtains across the sky. It’s a natural phenomenon, but it feels almost otherworldly when it happens right overhead.
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What’s especially exciting is how far tonight’s display could travel. If the storm reaches the strength forecasters are expecting, the lights might be seen as far west as the outskirts of Perth. Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and, of course, Tasmania all have a genuine chance to catch the glow. And for anyone who missed November’s show, tonight’s forecast feels like a second invitation to witness something rare and quietly breathtaking.
To actually see the aurora, it’s best to escape the glow of the city. Light pollution tends to wash out the softer colours, so rural areas, open beaches, and high coastal cliffs make for ideal viewing spots. The key is a clear view to the south—since the lights form around the magnetic pole, that’s where the action unfolds. Some colours can be seen with the naked eye, but the deepest hues often reveal themselves much better through a camera. A simple 10–15 second exposure can transform faint streaks into full, sweeping waves of colour.
Timing matters too. Auroras are known to peak around midnight, typically between 10 pm and 2 am. But because tonight’s geomagnetic activity is expected to be stronger than usual, the window could start earlier in the evening and even stretch toward dawn. Realistically, displays can flicker gently for a few minutes or dance across the sky for several hours—it all depends on how the storm behaves as it reaches Earth.
So if you’re planning to step outside, bundle up, pick a dark spot, look south, and let your eyes adjust. A cosmic light show may be waiting, and tonight might be one of those unforgettable moments when the sky quietly decides to perform.
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