Stunning aurora lights up skies over Australia: ‘Brightest one I’ve ever seen’
Images of a bright, multicoloured aurora seen in southern Australia have flooded social media in what many are calling the best experience of the space weather phenomenon they have ever seen.
Auroras are caused by charged particles from the sun in the form of solar storms interacting with the Earth’s geomagnetic field.
In the northern hemisphere, they are called aurora borealis while in the south, they are referred to as aurora australis.
The charged particles from the sun may lead to geomagnetic storms, which are a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave and are classified in a range from 1 to 5.
Class 1 geomagnetic storms (G1) are weak disturbances that may lead to mild power grid fluctuations while G5 are extreme storms that may lead to widespread voltage control problems with damage to transformers and complete collapse of some power grid systems.
Space weather physicist Tamitha Skov tweeted that a “severe” geomagnetic storm (G4) impacted Earth early Monday, causing auroras all over the world.
Reports suggest the lights were visible to residents of Tasmania, the southern Australian state, from about 5:15am local time onwards.
The space weather phenomenon was also reported on Monday from the northern hemisphere, including from England and Cornwall in the UK, Kyiv in Ukraine and from several parts of the US.
Parts of southern Australia just witnessed one of the best #AuroraAustralis displays in recent years during a severe geomagnetic storm on Monday morning. ✨
More at https://t.co/XdZ41Cb2eb
📷 Source: mantisalive/IG in TAS pic.twitter.com/qgW2T1WYhn— Weatherzone (@weatherzone) April 24, 2023
“Thanks to the strong solarstorm core we just entered, aurora is been seen in Kentucky, USA. Expect views deep into mid-latitudes that continue to brighten over the next 6-8 hours and then possibly wane a bit as the field flips northward over the latter part of this storm!” Dr Skov said.
Stunning #aurora high in the skies above Pennsylvania, USA during this ongoing #solarstorm. The magnetic field is continuing to stay sustained southward so views will likely continue for another 6+ hours at the least. Thanks for reporting! https://t.co/aeThWAJfqL
— Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) April 24, 2023
“Stunning aurora high in the skies above Pennsylvania, USA during this ongoing solarstorm. The magnetic field is continuing to stay sustained southward so views will likely continue for another 6+ hours at the least,” she said.
If you are in the UK and have a clear view to the north have a look! Aurora naked eye visible from North coast of Cornwall pic.twitter.com/J6LJKYmIeY
— Christopher Probert (@tophe_probert) April 23, 2023
Several people from towns across the Tasmania took to Twitter to share photos of the aurora taken through their smartphones.
Space photographer Lisa Bromfield tweeted images and said the display was “the brightest Aurora” she had ever seen.
Yes the expected #solarstorm hits now! Earlier means faster & stronger. Congrats to Mattie Anastopulos for the NASA/M2M prediction within 2 hours of actual. G2-G3 levels likely, #aurora intensifying to mid-latitudes. UK, Europe, Tassie, NZ, look to horizon, take long exposures. https://t.co/wyeok1Aba6
— Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) April 23, 2023
“I’ve never seen so much colour in the sky before. I’ve been chasing auroras for years and this tops the cake,” Carmel Gledhill from Midway Point near Tasmania told ABC.
Checked my Allsky camera this morning, the images had this strange red light…realised it was picking up the brightest Aurora I’ve ever seen. Pic unedited. Had to change my settings as it was blowing out due to the intensity of the Aurora. #AuroraAustralis #tasmania @TamithaSkov pic.twitter.com/PKgt1MOyvx
— Lisa Bromfield (@LisaBromfield) April 23, 2023
“We will likely hit G4-levels putting us at the ‘severe’ storm level... But no worries, this intensity will subside,” Dr Skov said on Monday, adding that the ongoing solarstorm could last over 24 hours before “really calming down”.