An Aurora australis has lit up skies (and social media feeds) across Tasmania following an ‘extreme’ geomagnetic solar storm.
It would have been hard to miss the thousands of images showing the brightly coloured phenomenon shared online from all corners of the state, including as far away as Victoria, South Australia and New Zealand.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the optimal time to see the aurora was between 10pm on Saturday and 2am on Sunday from a dark location with unobstructed views south.
Classified as a severe event by the BOM, the solar storm caused vivid auroras to be visible at unusually low latitudes.
“The last time a G5 geomagnetic storm was observed was in 2003,” the BOM said.
“The warning issued for this event informs government and critical infrastructure operators so they can take action to mitigate potential impacts on infrastructure and essential services.”
The aurora was last visible across Tasmania on Saturday morning, along with other parts of the southern hemisphere.
The natural light show usually sits several hundred kilometres south of Tasmania, but last night it made its way over the island and was visible directly overhead.
Thousands of Tasmanians went aurora-hunting to make the most of phenomenon, with intense traffic at popular viewing spots.
