In Pictures: Aurora Australis Makes Spectacular Return To New Zealand Skies

Saturday, 12 October 2024, 8:09 pm
Article: RNZ

The aurora australis has made a spectacular return to New Zealand skies, with people reporting displays of the Southern Lights from all parts of the country on Friday night.

This year, the Southern Lights have been unusually active, as the Sun undergoes a period of intense activity, which occurs in 11-year cycles.

Have you seen the aurora australis? Send images to iwitness@rnz.co.nz

In the Deep South, Debbie Crompton captured these images in Bluff, saying: "I felt like I was literally standing underneath it."

In Queenstown, Kate Walker captured this stunning image from Jack's Point.

And in Wānaka, Cody Tiger Gray said he had slept through an early morning alarm but managed to wake at 4.45. "I dashed down to the lake and managed to capture these shots as dawn broke. It was wild to see those beams still visible even with the sunrise creeping in!"

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In Canterbury, residents drove to Lake Ellesmere to capture the aurora reflected off the water. Shanelle Siaki was there around 9pm and captured a number of images on her iPhone 14.

Also at Lake Ellesmere was Natalie Crowther, who took family members to her favourite spot for star-gazing and aurora-spotting.

Read more:

Explainer: Why the aurora isn't just a pretty light show

In the capital, Sam Wilson captured this image of the Southern Lights at Red Rocks on Wellington's south coast.

Alastair Watkins took this photo of the aurora lighting up North Taranaki skies on Friday night.

At Karioitahi Beach, south of Auckland, Simon Jarman (@sjarmanphoto) said it was a "decent show" on Friday, posting on NZ Dark Skies the aurora "went off" around 9pm, "died down then came back around 11.15". His shot was taken facing west.

Meanwhile in south Auckland, Katrina Piggott described the skies around Papakura looking "pretty in pink tonight".

Northwest of Auckland, at Muriwai Beach, Kasuy Gonzaga captured an image of a star framed by the aurora.

RNZ's Northland reporter Peter de Graaf captured an image of a glowing purple night sky late on Friday night at Marsden Cross, Rangihoua Heritage Park, in the northern Bay of Islands.

He said the aurora was barely visible with the naked eye, but the colours were revealed with a long, 15-second exposure.

While not as intense as May's display, you could still spot the aurora tonight from the lower North Island using your cameras, especially with clear skies for many areas.

A geomagnetic storm is lighting up the night sky!
While not as intense as May's display, you could still spot the aurora tonight from the lower North Island using your cameras, especially with clear skies for many areas. pic.twitter.com/Yr36S1VYoV
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) October 11, 2024

Many in the Northern Hemisphere have also been sharing images of the Aurora borealis this week.

Aurora boreal en el desierto de Sonora, México. 10/Oct/2024
Tormenta Geomagnética. pic.twitter.com/yfQn0fh1hn
— Gerardo L Gerardo-Fotografia (@GGerardox2) October 11, 2024

But an astronomer says Friday was the peak of the aurora australis' return to New Zealand.

Stardome astronomer Rob Davison says another display is unlikely as the geomagentic storm has ended..

The aurora displays are related to activity from the Sun.

Usually particles from solar flares bounce off the Earth's magnetic field, but when there is a severe eruption, they can penetrate the ionosphere and interact with gases around the magnetic poles - causing the ribbons of colour.

Auroras are usually confined to certain latitudes in the north and south, which makes them relatively rare to observe for most of the population.

The pinks, purples and greens that are often associated with aurora are the particles interacting with different gasses. Simply put, oxygen - which emits greenish-yellow or red light - and nitrogen - which emits blue light - in the upper atmosphere release specific colours when bombarded by solar radiation.

Atoms, molecules and ions in the atmosphere are excited by the electrically charged particles and, in turn, release photons - which is the light we see.

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