Missed the aurora australis last night? Make sure to look up tonight, you might be in luck!

Southern stargazers have been treated to an incredible light show, with the stunning aurora australis gracing our night skies.

Header Image Credit: Thursday night’s aurora australis by Dan Castro.

Vibrant displays of pink, red, green and yellow flickered across the dark sky from midnight until sunrise.

But if you missed it, you might get another chance! A second celestial spectacle could be on the cards tonight.

Chief Astronomer Rick Tonello from the Gravity Discovery Centre in Gingin says it was set off by a massive eruption from the sun:

“The sun had an enormous sneeze a couple of days ago and produced an X-class flare which is the most powerful,” he explains. “Charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth’s magnetic field and these particles become trapped near the polar regions.

“They then interact with the Earth’s atmosphere and they cause the molecules in the atmosphere to become excited and throw off light.”

Perth Observatory Astronomer Matthew Woods says it was a powerful geomagnetic storm.

“We were hit by a coronal mass ejection. It was a very strong storm, similar to the one in May,” he says.

“Most of that radiation has been deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field but some of that radiation has come back along the magnetic field lines. Radiation with that solar storm has interacted with the oxygen and nitrogen particles in our atmosphere and it’s causing that to glow like a neon sign.”

He says the best view was along the far south of WA but it was still a visual treat up in Perth, even as far north as Geraldton.

“It was in peaks and troughs, there were sometimes you needed the camera to see it but other times it would charge back up again and you would see the streaks.”

Tonello says here in Perth, you could mainly see hues of red, but further south, you start seeing greens.

“You also get different patterns in the aurora,” he adds. “In some, you see vertical bands slowly rippling across the sky. You get swirls, coronas and arcs, which almost happen above you or behind you.”

The aurora was also seen in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland.

Tonello says we should keep an eye out tonight. As soon as darkness falls, the cosmic display may light up the night, once again.

“It’s a really strong storm, it’s just fantastic. It’s still going, I think we’re going to get some more tonight.”