Witness nature's breathtaking show: Stunning Aurora Australis dazzles Tasmania's skies!
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Tasmanians were blessed with an incredible natural show this week, leaving many in awe.
Early risers in the south of the island started their work week right when they awoke to find a stunning Aurora Australis painting the sky with its dazzling hues of pink and green, with many onlookers calling it one of the best displays they have ever seen.
The jaw-dropping display was easily visible to the naked eye from about 5:15 am onwards and could even be captured without professional photography gear – many managed to snap photos simply using their smartphones.
‘This morning's display made me think I'm still asleep, dreaming. The colours were so vivid and bright — they were, in my son's words, “Beautiful, magic sky colours”,’ said Toby Schrapel, a resident who watched the spectacular show from Judbury in Tasmania’s Huon Valley.
‘The feeling of seeing a show of aurora such as this makes you feel lucky to be alive and able to see nature’s pure beauty and capture it for others to see,’ he added.
Carmel Gledhill, a resident from Midway Point near Hobart, shared that she took photos from her driveway using her phone before heading down to the water.
She said: ‘My husband woke me up at 5:15 am and said very casually, “Look at this”.’
Ms Gledhill also admitted that she panicked trying to find her professional camera and tripod while getting dressed and ‘out the door’ as fast as she could.
‘I've never seen so much colour in the sky before. I've been chasing auroras for years, and this tops the cake,’ she claimed.
Ms Gledhill told reporters that she and her husband ended up racing to the water while in their dressing gowns to capture photos of the beautiful phenomenon.
‘We were so fascinated by the colours and pulses coming out of the sky. My heart is still racing from all the excitement,’ she explained.
Bellerive resident Robbie Moles took photos from Hobart’s eastern shores. He said he was ‘completely blown away’ by the lights display's strength.
‘I could see it quite clearly coming down the Brooker Highway over the street lights. But, as I got to Bellerive, I was mesmerised,’ he stated.
Mr Moles described seeing ‘strong reds’ and purples and beams that went straight up the sky. He said the lights show lasted for a while too.
‘Huge beams visible on the Kunanyi/Mt Wellington webcam too. Definitely, the best display I've seen by far,’ he admitted.
Aurora Australis was sighted as far north as Mildura and Canberra, and there were reports of it being witnessed in the Western Australian town of Esperance and from New Zealand.
But what made Aurora Australis appear so vividly this time?
Professor Andrew Cole, an Astrophysicist at the University of Tasmania, said Monday morning’s aurora was the ‘most intense’ he’d seen in the last 15 years.
It occurred after a strong geomagnetic storm that resulted from a solar flare caused the natural phenomena to be ‘especially vivid’.
‘The aurora is really evidence that there’s some kind of magnetic disturbance in the Earth’s very far upper atmosphere,’ the professor explained.
He continued: ‘Last night was special because a blob of gas that had been ejected from the Sun about three or four days earlier actually impacted the Earth’s magnetosphere. So, that was like the moment of impact at about 3:30 am or 3:45 am, and the aurora just went off after that for a couple of hours.’
Professor Cole also stated that the conditions to see Aurora Australis will remain ‘pretty favourable’ this week because the Earth’s magnetic field is still disturbed – meaning a lot of energy is still being converted into light.
You can watch the news report here:
According to the experts, solar activity – which follows an 11-year cycle – in southern Australia is currently peaking, meaning Aussies who want to watch the lights display will have more opportunities this time.
Bureau of Meteorology Meteorologist Luke Johnston said another aurora would likely occur tomorrow morning, especially since clear skies were expected, particularly in southern Tasmania.
Dean Narramore, Senior Meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, remarked how it was ‘unusual’ to see reports of Aurora Australis so far north.
‘Normally, you see this over the [South] Pole, but when you do get these large magnetic surges, you do get to see these really pretty lights further north,’ he explained.
He added that some parts of southern coastal Victoria might also get to watch the aurora if the sky is cloud-free.
‘It’s always tough to model the timing and intensity, but it looks like it will be ongoing overnight,’ Mr Narramore claimed.
This isn’t the first time Aurora Australis has appeared in Australian skies this quarter. Earlier last month, residents from the western plains of Dubbo to the sunny shores of Lancelin in Western Australia were treated to a spectacular display of colourful lights. Read the rest of the report here.
Members, have any of you been lucky enough to witness the Aurora Australis? Share the story and your photos in the comments below!
Early risers in the south of the island started their work week right when they awoke to find a stunning Aurora Australis painting the sky with its dazzling hues of pink and green, with many onlookers calling it one of the best displays they have ever seen.
The jaw-dropping display was easily visible to the naked eye from about 5:15 am onwards and could even be captured without professional photography gear – many managed to snap photos simply using their smartphones.
‘This morning's display made me think I'm still asleep, dreaming. The colours were so vivid and bright — they were, in my son's words, “Beautiful, magic sky colours”,’ said Toby Schrapel, a resident who watched the spectacular show from Judbury in Tasmania’s Huon Valley.
‘The feeling of seeing a show of aurora such as this makes you feel lucky to be alive and able to see nature’s pure beauty and capture it for others to see,’ he added.
The light show was visible to the naked eye in the early hours of Monday morning. Credit: Shutterstock
Carmel Gledhill, a resident from Midway Point near Hobart, shared that she took photos from her driveway using her phone before heading down to the water.
She said: ‘My husband woke me up at 5:15 am and said very casually, “Look at this”.’
Ms Gledhill also admitted that she panicked trying to find her professional camera and tripod while getting dressed and ‘out the door’ as fast as she could.
‘I've never seen so much colour in the sky before. I've been chasing auroras for years, and this tops the cake,’ she claimed.
Ms Gledhill told reporters that she and her husband ended up racing to the water while in their dressing gowns to capture photos of the beautiful phenomenon.
‘We were so fascinated by the colours and pulses coming out of the sky. My heart is still racing from all the excitement,’ she explained.
Bellerive resident Robbie Moles took photos from Hobart’s eastern shores. He said he was ‘completely blown away’ by the lights display's strength.
Many expressed their awe at seeing Aurora Australis light up the sky. Credit: Shutterstock
‘I could see it quite clearly coming down the Brooker Highway over the street lights. But, as I got to Bellerive, I was mesmerised,’ he stated.
Mr Moles described seeing ‘strong reds’ and purples and beams that went straight up the sky. He said the lights show lasted for a while too.
‘Huge beams visible on the Kunanyi/Mt Wellington webcam too. Definitely, the best display I've seen by far,’ he admitted.
Aurora Australis was sighted as far north as Mildura and Canberra, and there were reports of it being witnessed in the Western Australian town of Esperance and from New Zealand.
But what made Aurora Australis appear so vividly this time?
Professor Andrew Cole, an Astrophysicist at the University of Tasmania, said Monday morning’s aurora was the ‘most intense’ he’d seen in the last 15 years.
It occurred after a strong geomagnetic storm that resulted from a solar flare caused the natural phenomena to be ‘especially vivid’.
‘The aurora is really evidence that there’s some kind of magnetic disturbance in the Earth’s very far upper atmosphere,’ the professor explained.
He continued: ‘Last night was special because a blob of gas that had been ejected from the Sun about three or four days earlier actually impacted the Earth’s magnetosphere. So, that was like the moment of impact at about 3:30 am or 3:45 am, and the aurora just went off after that for a couple of hours.’
Professor Cole also stated that the conditions to see Aurora Australis will remain ‘pretty favourable’ this week because the Earth’s magnetic field is still disturbed – meaning a lot of energy is still being converted into light.
You can watch the news report here:
According to the experts, solar activity – which follows an 11-year cycle – in southern Australia is currently peaking, meaning Aussies who want to watch the lights display will have more opportunities this time.
Bureau of Meteorology Meteorologist Luke Johnston said another aurora would likely occur tomorrow morning, especially since clear skies were expected, particularly in southern Tasmania.
Dean Narramore, Senior Meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, remarked how it was ‘unusual’ to see reports of Aurora Australis so far north.
‘Normally, you see this over the [South] Pole, but when you do get these large magnetic surges, you do get to see these really pretty lights further north,’ he explained.
He added that some parts of southern coastal Victoria might also get to watch the aurora if the sky is cloud-free.
‘It’s always tough to model the timing and intensity, but it looks like it will be ongoing overnight,’ Mr Narramore claimed.
This isn’t the first time Aurora Australis has appeared in Australian skies this quarter. Earlier last month, residents from the western plains of Dubbo to the sunny shores of Lancelin in Western Australia were treated to a spectacular display of colourful lights. Read the rest of the report here.
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