Stunning aurora lights up NZ skies – plus the best place to catch it ...

An aurora australis danced across Aotearoa’s skies this morning to the delight of photographers nationwide.

Strong geomagnetic activity combined with cloudless skies made for perfect viewing of the cosmic event, which is difficult to see with the naked eye but is enhanced when viewed through cameras.

MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor said the event was an uncommon sight for New Zealanders, but more so for those in the far north.

“In New Zealand, we’re not that far south and the closer you are to the poles the easier they are to spot. We do see the stronger ones, but to see them from Northland, that’s very uncommon.”

She said MetService had received dozens of stunning images of the aurora, which were enhanced by the lack of cloud cover for most of the country.

Auroras result from magnetosphere disruptions by solar wind, altering charged particle trajectories.

These particles then rise into the upper atmosphere, creating colourful displays.

O’Connor said hopeful watchers may be able to view the aurora again tonight, with little to no cloud cover expected for much of the North and South Islands.

“Unfortunately for the very deep south, like Invercargill, it might be a bit cloudier. Dunedin will hopefully escape the cloud, the other exception is Marlborough Sounds/Blenheim with it being a bit cloudier around there.”

For the North Island, clouds may develop in the Wellington and Taranaki areas, but they may clear early in the evening.

The aurora will be visible throughout New Zealand from sundown this evening – the best places for viewing are areas far from light pollution.

“You’re best to go to an unobstructed view where you can see southward – most phones will have a compass if you’re not quite up to date with what north or south is, and ideally you want to leave the city lights behind you.”

Pōhara photographer Shelley Grell said she has been trying to capture the aurora for some time, first coming close a year ago but finally capturing it around 6.30am today.

“It needs to be a really strong geomagnetic storm for it to be visible up here,” she said. “When I first tried capturing the aurora this time last year, I missed the peak of it and only got a little splash of pink. Then there were no curtains, no strobes that you could see further south, and I couldn’t see it to the naked eye.”

Grell said with her first attempt she could only see the aurora in monochrome and had to enhance the images on her computer.

“I’ve seen lots of photos of it, I’ve seen the Northern Lights videos too, but I’ve never been there. But this morning’s aurora was completely different. I could see everything in full colour. It was very exciting. And to actually see it with the naked eye, that was just incredible.”

Rinshu Jaiswal Nerkar captured the aurora from her Auckland home, saying she was aware of the forecast aurora but did not expect to see it from the middle of the city.

“When my eyes adjusted to the dark I saw a pink glow in the southern sky and immediately knew that it was an aurora. I grabbed my phone and started taking shots. It was a sight I will never forget. I am an aurora chaser for life now,” she said.

The rare event comes as Transpower has issued a “grid emergency” notice due to a severe storm in space.

A spokesperson for the agency, which operates the New Zealand power grid, said a geomagnetic storm is likely to affect Earth over this weekend because of significant solar activity.

“G4 [severe] level events are rare, with only three having been observed this solar cycle since December 2019. Our control rooms are monitoring the event,” the spokesperson said.

At this stage, the spokesperson said they do not anticipate any impact on New Zealand’s electricity supply to consumers.

Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin.