Aussie campers could witness incredibly rare aurora australis tonight
The Southern Lights may become visible on Christmas night in a rare display most likely to be seen by those camping and caravanning in dark locations.
A spectacular display of Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, could light up the skies in a dazzling display tonight. Those camping around the country — or staying away from cities and towns — are being urged to look up to see the incredible cosmic event that could take place either Christmas evening or Boxing Day morning.
Astronomer Michael Brown told Yahoo that while conditions can be "fickle", those who are camping far away from light pollution given off by major cities have the best chance of witnessing the incredible phenomenon.
Associate Professor Brown from Monash University said there is a "good chance" the Southern Lights will be visible on Christmas evening, just before dawn on Boxing Day. "During the holidays many people will be travelling to places that are away from the light pollution of cities and towns," he said.
"Between Christmas and the new year, the Moon will be below the horizon during the evening, which makes for even darker skies. If you have dark skies and a clear view of the southern horizon, you could get to see an aurora."
Where is the best place to see Aurora Australis?
Certain parts of the country have better chances than others to see the incredible light display. "Tasmania has the best odds of seeing something but we may see them in the southern parts of the mainland too," he said.
"That said, auroras have been seen many times from Victoria, South Australia and southern WA this year. A clear dark view towards the southern horizon is essential."
According to Brown, there's often "no guarantee" of auroras over the summer in Australia, but because the Sun has been very active this year, there’s a decent chance we will get another colourful display.
2024 'amazing year' for Aurora spotting
According to Brown, 2024 made an "amazing year" for aurora spotting in Australia.
The cosmic phenomenon made an appearance most recently in October which could be seen by people as far north as Ballina in New South Wales and May brought the biggest geomagnetic storm in nearly 20 years, giving stargazers in Victoria, South Australia, and across the globe prime views of the rare event.
"There’s still a chance we will see more before the year’s over," he said. "The Sun has been very quiet in recent weeks, but there’s a chance solar flares and coronal mass ejections could pick up over the summer holidays.
“If you do spot an aurora, enjoy the show. You can even take photos with your smartphone, which can help bring out the colours and structure of an aurora."
If aurora doesn't make an appearance, Brown says that the darker than usual skies will still allow for Aussies to see "the splendour of the night skies".
"The planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are also up during the evening, with Venus being spectacularly bright and Saturn’s rings being visible with even a small telescope," he said.
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