Aurora Australis Alert: Get Outside Tonight The Sky Might Just Glow

Aurora Australis Alert: Get Outside Tonight

Grab your jumper and head for the hills or the beach. The magnificent Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, could be visible tonight if conditions align.

Alert from Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre

The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (ASWFC) has issued an Aurora Alert indicating a geomagnetic storm is currently underway. This means conditions are favorable for observing an aurora in high-latitude Southern Australia.

Where and When to Watch

Best locations: Tasmania and New Zealand’s South Island offer the highest chances.
Mainland Southern Australia (Victoria, southern New South Wales, South Australia) may also witness the display, but requires very dark skies with minimal light pollution.
Ideal viewing time: between about 10pm and 2am local time.
Typical display duration: 1–3 hours.

Check your latitude with the ASWFC’s auroral oval tool to see if you fall inside the “equatorward visibility line” tonight.

How the Aurora Happens

When the sun flings charged particles out—solar wind, coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—they travel toward Earth and hit our planet’s magnetic field. Once trapped, they interact with molecules in the upper atmosphere (oxygen, nitrogen), releasing light.

This interaction causes the sky to light up in stunning patterns and colors, creating the aurora that some are lucky to witness.

Summary

If the skies stay clear, those in southern regions tonight could witness a rare and beautiful celestial light show caused by solar activity interacting with Earth's atmosphere.

Author’s Summary

The Southern Lights may be visible tonight in southern Australia and New Zealand due to a geomagnetic storm, offering a spectacular natural light display for those in dark, clear locations.

Urban List — 2025-11-06