Victoria glows with southern lights, new auroras on the horizon

Victorian skies were aglow on Tuesday evening with a spectacular display of the southern lights. Here’s when they will return.

Tuesday night’s aurora lit up the skies of Victoria and star gazers were able to catch magnificent glimpses of the phenomenon all over the state.

While the sky did not light up to the same degree as it did in May, those with long-exposure cameras and lenses still managed to capture the moment.

Victoria's latest aurora as seen in Koroit. Picture: Lou Bubb/Victorian Storm Chasers

The sourthern lights seen in Churchill. Picture: Ashley Walker/Victorian Storm Chasers

There was stronger visibility to the east of the state, with the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland both well-placed to see the fire in the sky.

Further away from light pollution, there were faint shades of pink, red, purple resting among the stars.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said the reason last night’s aurora was less vibrant than the last one was because it was a G1 geomagnetic storm, more minor than the staggering G5 conditions seen in May.

“Auroras are the visual manifestation of space weather,” they said.

“They occur when charged particles from the Sun reach the Earth at high speeds, such as when a coronal mass ejection (CME) reaches Earth.

“If these charged particles can penetrate sufficiently into Earth’s atmosphere, they interact with atmospheric atoms and molecules.

“Following this interaction, atmospheric atoms and molecules return to their original state upon which they release energy in the form of light, creating auroras of various colours.”

The light display at Ocean Grove. Picture: Jo Pittwood/Victorian Storm Chasers

They said Victorians can expect another geomagnetic storm soon.

“The Bureau of Meteorology’s Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre is forecasting a geomagnetic storm event. G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) geomagnetic conditions are forecast for July 31 and August 1,” they said.

“Should forecast conditions eventuate during night-time hours, aurora sightings are possible tonight in Tasmania and southern parts of Victoria.

“There is a reduced possibility of sightings tomorrow evening, too.

“It is very unlikely that the aurora will be as vivid as the one seen on May 11, which was a rare event as a result of a G5 geomagnetic storm.”

In May, Victoria and Tasmania were witness to the largest geomagnetic storm in almost two decades, producing vivid pink, green and purple auroras.

Originally published as Victoria glows with southern lights, new auroras on the horizon