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With the sun’s solar maximum sending geomagnetic storms our way, this year’s the best chance you’ll have of seeing the Aurora Australis in the next decade.
Here’s where to go and how to take the best photographs.
In Australia, Tasmania has been one of the best places to see the Aurora Australis (also known as the Southern Lights). But recently, nature’s technicolour light show has been on the move.
Now you don’t even need to head to Tasmania for the Southern Lights. Ethereal currents of pink and green are lighting up the night skies over Western Australia, triggered by events that begin millions of kilometres away on the sun. Plasma clouds released from the sun are carried by the wind from solar storms and when conditions are right, colliding charged particles give us a dazzling light show in the night sky.
Right now, they are edging off the peak of a decade-long cycle. Expected to continue flaring strongly in 2026, the Southern Hemisphere’s take on the North Pole’s better-known Aurora Borealis is even visible around Perth.
The ribboning natural phenomenon is a thrill WA photographer Nathan Dobbie has been chasing for years.
“I can’t count how many times I’ve tried to go out and see it. If there’s any sort of chance, I’m usually out there,” he says. “You definitely have to be consistent and prepared to be disappointed, but if you get the timing right then it can be spectacular.”
The space weather in 2024 led to possibly some of the strongest displays of auroras recorded in the past 500 years. According to NASA, the sun’s magnetic poles flip every 11 years, a bit like if the North and South poles were to swap ends. As this happens, they transition from stormy to calm conditions.
Significant storms can still occur in the declining phase of the solar cycle. We’re on the decline now, but it could still be good for another year or two.
Knowing when to head out for an aurora hunt is tricky business and alerts often come at short notice so you need to be ready to go. Fortunately there are a good number of aurora forecasting apps, Facebook groups and websites that can help you decide whether it’s worth pulling an all-nighter.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issues regular geomagnetic activity level updates and Aurora Alerts, when conditions are right for the best viewing. The Aurora Australis Tasmania Facebook page can be useful for heralding events in WA; the Aurora Australis Western Australia page is also good. Free app My Aurora Forecast is recommended for general use, while the Glendale app, which provides real-time tracking of the aurora activity worldwide, suits more advanced trackers.
Sightings are most common when nights are long and dark. March to September is your best bet – this is when the earth’s magnetic field is in the right position to interact with the solar winds. Conditions need to be clear, as clouds and rain will obscure photography.
Yes you can, and it’s not as hard as you might think, using a manually lengthened exposure time (between three and 20secs) and setting a timer delay. Nathan recommends focusing on a bright star or some other distant object like a streetlight. “My biggest tip is to use a tripod because even though you can capture it with a handheld phone, the image will be a bit blurry. With a tripod you can shoot over a longer period, using a slower shutter speed, letting more light in as the aurora shows up.”
For regular cameras, any wide-angle lens with a wide aperture will do the trick. Just make sure you’re organised, with your batteries charged and your memory cards ready to go so you’re not fumbling in the dark.
A key tip is to look south – something many West Aussies get wrong as they gaze towards the coast, where light pollution and obstructions such as trees are low.
Ideally, look for a nice, elevated viewpoint facing south, away from ambient light, when the moon is a sliver.
Choose it before the aurora is going to happen, so you’re not scrambling to find a spot in darkness.
Popular places around Perth include Mt Dale in the Perth Hills, Lake Leschenaultia and Island Point Reserve on the Peel-Harvey estuary near Mandurah. Public car parks can get busy, with people’s torchlights detracting from the dark skies – consider finding your own quiet spot nearby.
Beyond the city environs, try spots along the South West coast such as Redgate Beach in Margaret River and Injidup Bay near Yallingup, even with some ambient light from nearby homes.
Banner image credit: Tourism Western Australia
