LYD1A KERR

Being able to witness the Aurora australis from Melbourne is an incredibly rare phenomenon due to the city’s latitude and light pollution. Which makes the fact that I saw the Southern Lights at St Kilda Beach on the 11th May 2024 even more incredible!

At around midnight, I was scrolling through instagram, and randomly came across someone’s story claiming that the Southern Lights had made their way to Melbourne. I immediately woke James up, and we hopped on the next tram to the beach. How lucky are we that this was so close and accessible on public transport?!

We followed the crowds of people to the main St Kilda beach and could see the pillars and beams of light filling the night’s sky. Thankfully, there were no clouds, and the stars made the landscape even more beautiful.

Initially, the aurora wasn’t very strong, but with lots of endearing cheers coming from people on the beach, the aurora became stronger, and we witnessed solar flares and the sky producing even more colourful beams of light.

I’ve since done some research on how to find out if the Southern Lights will be visible again. Here’s what I found out:

1. Check social media – getting real time information from people witnessing the Southern Lights, and finding out where, is key.
2. Check Aurora Forecast websites and apps, such as through the BOM website for real time updates on the likelihood of seeing the lights.
3. Monitor space weather conditions – this is a cool one and something I’ve not given much thought to – but you can check the geomagnetic activity occuring in space, which gives an indication on whether or not you can witness solar flares.

Remember that it’s incredibly rare to get sighting of the Aurora australis from Melbourne as it requires exceptional conditions including clear, dark skies, and high geomagnetic activity.

Good luck and enjoy!