Surf Coast and Bellarine wake to visible aurora australis

The aurora australis was showing off over much of the Surf Coast and Bellarine this morning, with lights still visible after first light.

Aurora australis was visible over the dark residential areas of the Bellarine in the early hours of Friday morning, October 11.

A colourful aurora australis was showing off over much of the Surf Coast and Bellarine on Friday morning, with lights still well and truly visible after first light.

The cosmic light show – also known as the southern lights – was sparked by a solar storm, as energy from the sun met the earth’s magnetic field.

The display showed vivid display of reds, pinks and greens in the sky until just after 6am across the Bellarine Peninsula, Surf Coast and dark-sky locations around Geelong, as early risers who got wind of the phenomenon headed to beaches, will parked cars lining popular Bellarine carparks by as early as 5.30am.

One Ocean Grove local, Alex, said she woke up at 5.30am and saw the lights over the house, so she quickly jumped in the car and drove to the beach to get a better look.

“I’ve never seen this before, it’s incredible,” she said.

“It’s so strong this morning, I can’t believe it.”

The colours faded as the sun rose, as to see the lights you need to be in a dark place with no light pollution and facing the South Pole.

The aurora australis was showing off over much of the Surf Coast and Bellarine on Friday morning, with lights still visible well and truly after first light.

But if you missed this morning don’t worry – as another aurora alert has been issued for Friday and Saturday, indicating the possibility of lights visible to the naked eye overnight.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s (BOM) Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre website has regular updates on the strength of the aurora and has predicted unusual solar activity could mean more visible aurora australis over the weekend.

Originally published as Surf Coast and Bellarine wake to visible aurora australis