The new year began with a stunning light show as the south-eastern regions of Australia witnessed the mesmerizing sight of Aurora Australis. 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 until the early hours of January 2, brilliant streaks of green and purple lit up the sky. The event was visible to the naked eye due to clear skies and an intense geomagnetic storm, which combined to produce an extraordinary polar display. Pictures and videos of the lights took over social media, with many users sharing their excitement and surprise.
A user shared a time-lapse video of the aurora captured in Perth, Western Australia.
Aurora timelapse from last night’s G4 KP8 solar storm over Perth, Western Australia between 10:20 pm and 11:00 pm ???? #AuroraAustralis #MooningCrew #perth #perthnews #perthweather #SouthWestWA #solarstorm #Western Australia pic.twitter.com/GnHeParqTi
– Weather WA (@weather_wa) 1 January 2025
Another post featured a series of photos of the spectacular Aurora Australis, highlighting strong geomagnetic activity “with K-index fluctuating around 6 and 7!”
The sun surprised people under clear skies in Northern Europe on a beautiful New Year’s Eve with the Aurora Borealis. KP above 5 – sometimes above 6! The “Australian” version is currently live in Australia and New Zealand and the KP index is fluctuating around 6 and 7! pic.twitter.com/VTWslGRx9e
– AuroraNotifier (@aurora_notifier) 1 January 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 some more posts with stunning images of the Aurora Australis.
Arora now
look south
giant naked eye rays #Tasmania #AuroraAustralis pic.twitter.com/VSimlJqQ4R
– Vince Taskonas (@VinceTaskonas) 1 January 2025
Canon EOS 1200D taken to Queenstown Airport Tasmania and found
Aurora Australis 01 01 2025 (@brownsquirrel, pic.twitter.com/DROqE7PuWU
– Courtney Lee (Mom of Ellie Noah) ????x 5 (@CeeEllEss_33) 1 January 2025
Aurora Australis Now. Tasmania. pic.twitter.com/Ow30l4n87K
– James L (@JKyL5) 1 January 2025
In Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, the aurora was so bright that it was visible even despite the usual interference from city lights. According to ABC News, the light show was ablaze with vibrant shades of green and purple, clearly visible across the urban area.
I’m up late but wow, the aurora coming from my window makes it worth it!#Tasmania #AuroraAustralis pic.twitter.com/voQQjAZHl1
– Chris Bowditch (@chrisbowditch) 1 January 2025
Similarly, residents of Western Australia enjoyed the spectacle in well-lit locations near Perth, where the aurora was visible in its full glory.
To the south, the picturesque town of Margaret River, known for wine and food tourism, also saw the sky illuminated by the southern lights.
The Aurora Australis, which results from a geomagnetic storm, occurs when charged particles from the Sun collide with Earth’s magnetic field. This interaction causes the atmospheric colors that are visible during such events. With the Sun’s 11-year magnetic cycle reaching its peak, solar activity is at an all-time high, resulting in an increased frequency of polar displays.
