Australia Weather News

The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (ASWFC) issued an aurora alert this afternoon, following up one from last night. 

Space weather forecaster Andrew Jackling says tonight is the night to see the aurora australis — otherwise known as the "southern lights". 

But you will have to be pretty far south to see it with the naked eye. 

What does an aurora alert mean?

The centre, run by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), publishes aurora alerts when there is a geomagnetic storm in progress.

And when there is a geomagnetic storm activity, there is the chance of an aurora display. 

Where can I see the aurora in Australia?

Right at the southernmost parts of the country.

Mr Jackling says tonight's display will probably be visible inTasmaniaandsouthern Victoria. 

The likelihood is low for South Australia's skies, with Mr Jackling suggesting you may need to spot it through a camera lens. 

"[You] might have a chance, a camera will be able to capture more light than our eyes can," he said. 

The rest of the nation have to wait to see photos captured by their southern friends. 

When can I see the aurora australis?

Tonight. 

Generally speaking, the best viewing time isbetween 10pm and 2am. 

What is the aurora australis?

It's a phenomenon when the sky inthe Southern Hemisphere is lit up by glowing whirls of colour.  

"Australis" comes from the Latin word for "southern".

In the Northern Hemisphere, it's the aurora borealis, or the northern lights. 

These displays arecaused by geomagnetic storms, triggered by something called coronal mass ejections.

"A coronal mass ejection is the literal ejection of material from the Sun out into space," Mr Jackling said. 

This sends charged particles from the Sun towards Earth, causing geomagnetic storms that can disrupt Earth's magnetic field. 

"Kind of like in a normal thunderstorm, your shutters on your house would get a bit rattled by the wind and the rain," he said. 

In a geomagnetic storm,the disruption can cause atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere to emit bright, colourful light.

And this can result in a stunning lightshow across the country. 

Why aren't we expecting to see it further north?

Becausethis geomagnetic storm is relatively weak. 

In May, the aurora australis created a display seen right across Australia — with sightings as far north as Queensland’s Mackay region.

That geomagnetic storm was quite intense. 

It was "the strongest event of this kind to hit the Earth in about 20 years", Andrew Cole from the University of Tasmania's physics department said.

But this geomagnetic storm won't be as strong. 

Space weather forecasters use a G-scale for global geomagnetic activity, which ranges from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme).

The geomagnetic storm in May reached a level of G5.

This afternoon, Mr Jackling said the planetary rating for this storm had reached G4. 

"Butwe haven't event got to G1 yet," he said of the rating for the Australian region. 

What's the best way to see the aurora australis?

Head south, because you are more likely to see the southern lights at a higher latitude. 

Make sure you're in a location withlow light pollution, so head out of town if you can. 

But, unfortunately, it's a full moon tomorrow night, so the skies won't be as dark as aurora hunters would like. 

The BOM says it's best toget an unobstructed view of the horizon. 

So it might be best tostand on a hill or on the shore overlooking the southern sea.

How can I be ready for the next one?

Mr Jackling said tokeep your ears pricked for the mention of a geomagnetic stormin news and weather updates. 

He also recommends signing up for ASWFC alerts via this online portal, so you'll get an email when there's an alert. 

And start following local aurora chasing groups on so it comes up on your social media feed.