Onlookers were treated to a stellar show on Sunday when the phenomena appeared above Tasmania and New Zealand’s South Island

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The southern-most points of Australia and New Zealand have been treated to an extraordinary spectacle as unusually colourful aurora australis lights swept across the skies.

Images and video of the event flooded social media on Sunday night. The Aurora Australis Tasmania Facebook page, which counts more than 52,000 members, was a focal point for people to share what they captured.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A stitched-together photo of the aurora with the Milky Way bending overhead Photograph: Garth Smith

Speaking to the ABC, the founder of the group, Margaret Sonnemann, said Sunday night’s aurora had “huge naked-eye beams”, which was not always the case, but warned that those chasing the light display should not count on what they saw in the sky matching the photographs seen online.

A strong aurora australis can be predicted using planetary index or Kp numbers, which are a measure of geomagnetic activity that increases on a scale of zero to nine according to geomagnetic strength. Sunday’s aurora came with a Kp number of seven, meaning it could be easily viewed from Tasmania and the southern end of New Zealand’s South Island.

Aurora australis Kp map. Photograph: Aurora Service

Tasmanian aurora watcher and photographer, Garth Smith said that he didn’t have to wait long to capture the spectacle. “The [Kp] numbers were off the dial during our daytime,” he said. “We knew it was going to happen and were just waiting for it to get dark and for the clouds to disappear, which luckily happened at about the same time.”

He said he was out for less than an hour in total although others wouldn’t have been so lucky, estimating some could have spent six or more hours waiting for a top shot.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest The aurora australis and large and small Magellanic clouds captured by Garth Smith from south-west Tasmania on 28 May. The Magellanic clouds (or Nubeculae Magellani) are two irregular dwarf galaxies visible from the southern hemisphere. Photograph: Garth Smith

Another aurora watcher and photographer, Julie Head of Squeaking Point in north-west Tasmania captured the display at different times during the evening, with one photo managing to include the lights, the sunset and multiple satellites.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Aurora australis and satellites at sunset. Photograph: Julie Head

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Aurora australis lights and a gumtree captured near Squeaking Point in North West Tasmania on 28 May. Photograph: Julie Head

Photographers used the hashtag #auroraustralis to post images of the colourful skies on Twitter.

Dr Pippi Longsock (@PippiLongsock) If you live in the South Island of NZ look south now to see this #auroraaustralis pic.twitter.com/5q39E1QcxT

Kathryn McRae (@runningnjandals) Friggin love living in Dunedin 😍 #Dunedinisgreat #AuroraAustralis pic.twitter.com/tSXNP2MoFX

Dr Andrew Digby (@takapodigs) Pretty good #AuroraAustralis here in Invercargill tonight. Hoping for more from Whenua Hou (darker & further south) later this week. pic.twitter.com/BrH1LBSve0