Australia's south-eastern regions were treated to a breathtaking display of Aurora Australis, ringing in the New Year with a stunning light show. On New Year's Day, the Southern Lights graced the skies over Tasmania and parts of Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales, leaving observers in awe.
From the evening of January 1 to the early hours of January 2, brilliant streaks of green and purple lit up the sky. The phenomenon was visible to the naked eye, thanks to clear skies and an intense geomagnetic storm, which together produced an extraordinary aurora display. Photos and videos of the lights flooded social media, with many users sharing their excitement and wonder.
One user shared a time-lapse video of the Aurora captured in Perth, Western Australia.
Aurora Timelapse of last night's G4 KP8 solar storm from Perth, Western Australia between 10:20 PM and 11:00 PM ???? #AuroraAustralis #MooningCrew #Perth #PerthNews #PerthWeather #SouthWestWA #Sunstorm #WesternAustralia pic.twitter.com/GnHeParqTi
— Weather WA (@weather_wa) January 1, 2025
Another post contained a series of photos of the spectacular Aurora Australis, highlighting the strong geomagnetic activity “with the Kp index hovering around 6 and 7!”
The sun surprised people under clear skies in Northern Europe with beautiful New Year's Eve Aurora Borealis. Kp above 5 – sometimes above 6! The “Australis” variant is currently ongoing in Australia and New Zealand, with the Kp index hovering around 6 and 7! pic.twitter.com/VTWslGRx9e
— AuroraNotifier (@aurora_notifier) January 1, 2025
The Kp index is a scale used to measure the strength of geomagnetic activity. The higher the Kp index, the stronger the geomagnetic storm.
Here are a few more posts with beautiful images of Aurora Australis.
Aurora now
Look south
Huge naked eye beams #Tasmania #auroraaustralis pic.twitter.com/VSimlJqQ4R— Vince Taskunas (@VinceTaskunas) January 1, 2025
I took the Canon EOS 1200D to Queenstown Airport Tasmania and bought it
Aurora Australia 01 01 2025 (@Brown Squirrel) pic.twitter.com/DROqE7PuWU— Courtney Lee (Eli Noah's mother) ????x 5 (@CeeEllEss_33) January 1, 2025
Aurora Australis right now. Tasmania. pic.twitter.com/Ow30l4n87K
— James L (@JKyL5) January 1, 2025
In Hobart, Tasmania's capital, the aurora was so vibrant that it was visible despite the usual interference from city lights. The light show dazzled with vibrant shades of green and purple, clearly visible across the urban area, according to ABC News.
I'm up late, but wow, the Aurora from my window made it worth it!#Tasmania #auroraaustralis pic.twitter.com/voQQjAZHl1
— Chris Bowditch (@chrisbowditch) January 1, 2025
Similarly, residents of Western Australia enjoyed the spectacle in well-lit locations near Perth, where the aurora was visible in its full glory.
Further south, the picturesque town of Margaret River, known for its wine and food tourism, also saw the southern lights illuminate the sky.
The Aurora Australis, which forms as a result of a geomagnetic storm, is formed when charged particles from the Sun collide with the Earth's magnetic field. This interaction creates the atmospheric colors that are visible during such events. As the sun approaches the peak of its 11-year magnetic cycle, solar activity is at a record high, resulting in an increased frequency of auroral phenomena.
