Southern lights could hit Australia tonight

The southern lights, also known as aurora australis, are not often seen from the mainland, but today it could be possible.

Aurora australis is just like the northern lights that mainly occur around Sweden and Iceland, but it instead lurks in the southern hemisphere.

It’s mostly visible from Antarctica, New Zealand and Tasmania, but those at the bottom of Victoria and South Australia may catch a glimpse as the lights move towards the country.

Aurora australis is created when particles with lots of energy burst out of the sun, creating a solar wind.

A ball of amazing glowing lights is pulled towards earth. The solar wind is attracted to the North and South Poles and it creates a natural light display in the sky.

While aurora australis happens regularly, it’s not always easy to see.

But if you do, it’s like a radioactive green glow blanketed across the night sky.

Senior space weather scientist at Bureau of Meteorology’s Space Weather Services, Richard Marshall, said it was expected on Tuesday night but there was still a chance it would impact the southern part of the country on Wednesday night.

In 1989, an aurora australis was seen as far north as Queensland, which is a very rare event.

Usually those in NSW can't even see them with the naked eye and need special photography equipment.

Mr Marshall said the further south you are the better, but those at the bottom of the mainland in Victoria and South Australia could spot the space event.

Mr Marshall said this kind of solar activity peaked around every 11 years while the sun was in the solar maximum part of its cycle.

It’s as if the sun has a heart that beats every 11 years, setting free the solar wind.

Mr Marshall said in this particular solar cycle, it was rare to catch the aurora on Australia’s mainland, and it was more visible from Hobart.

Auroras are best seen at night between 11pm and 2am.

It is more visible when there is a low level of moonlight and you’re away from cities.

The further south you go, the more likely it is you will spot a spectacular aurora.

Mr Marshall said the faster auroras travelled towards earth, the most visible they were, but said tonight’s aurora had slowed down and could be more dull than others in the past.

Principal space and radio scientist in Space Weather Services at the Bureau of Meteorology, Dr David Neudegg, told ABC there would be a 50/50 chance of seeing an aurora tonight.

The last aurora occurred in Tasmania last month, which lit the sky with greens, purples and reds.

Originally published as We could see space phenomenon tonight