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Aurora australis illuminates weekend nights

Ben Domensino, Monday May 22, 2017 - 14:10 AEST

Aurora chasers in Tasmania and Victoria stayed up late on the weekend to catch a glimpse of the southern lights.

The mesmerising display was the result of a coronal hole that occurred on the sun last week. These holes allow charged particles to escape from the sun and race towards earth, where they can produce auroras near the our planet's poles.

While the sun sending charged particles hurtling towards Earth sounds dangerous, our planet has a magnetic shield called the magnetosphere that protects us from these solar winds.

The most vivid display of southern lights on the weekend occurred on Saturday night and there was enough clear sky to witness the show from both Tasmania and Victoria.

The lights could be seen as far north as Wangaratta and Lake Tyrell, near Ouyen in northern Victoria.

Sunday night's display was less intense, although there was enough light on show for Australia's aurora chasers to be able to claim a coveted back-to-back sighting.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2017

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