Tasmanians are being treated to a stunning aurora australis display tonight, with reports and images of the celestial phenomenon emerging from across the south of the state.
Photographers have taken to social media to share their early shots of the aurora, capturing its glow over Opossum Bay, Primrose Sands, the Midlands, Southport and Kettering.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the aurora is being caused by a coronal hole high-speed stream impacting Earth’s magnetic field.
“The stream is likely to produce G1-class geomagnetic storming, with a chance of stronger G2-class storming,” an aurora alert reads.
“Storming at this level can trigger auroras that may be visible from high latitudes of Australia, such as Tasmania and Victoria.”
In May, stargazers witnessed the largest geomagnetic storm in nearly two decades, which lit up the night sky with vibrant auroras in Victoria, South Australia and beyond.
The aurora is expected to remain visible for several more hours, weather permitting.
Catching the aurora: tips from the Space Weather Centre
You ideally need a dark night with little cloud cover. You don’t want a bright moon or any light pollution, so a good location is a dark beach or a hill where you have an unobstructed view to the south.
Bright auroras usually last for 1–3 hours and the best viewing time is around midnight—between 10pm and 2am.
However, there’s no magic hour that you’re guaranteed to see auroras—keen aurora chasers usually keep an eye on real-time geomagnetic indices and stay up all night if need be.
