Southern Lights Lit Up New Zealand This Weekend And The Pics Are Unbelievable
Lucky citizens of New Zealand had front row seats to another breathtaking light show over the weekend.
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, threw shades of pinks, yellows and greens across the nighttime sky -- and the pictures people took are beyond Instagram-worthy.
To be honest, I can't look away.
Around this time last month, a different Aurora Australis took place, and citizens of New Zealand, Tasmania and parts of south Australia gathered for the show.
Based off recent photos of the phenomenon, the Southern Lights that happened on Saturday and Sunday night looked just as mesmerizing.
The photos are truly stunning.
These are the dreamiest skies I've ever seen.
The colors are unreal.
"A night in New Zealand I will never forget."
According to Stuff, the aurora could be seen from Canterbury, New Zealand and the Otago Peninsula on Saturday, and then again from Canterbury and Wellington on Sunday.
However, Saturday's aurora was especially vibrant.
Dr. Ian Griffin, the former Head of Public Outreach at Nasa's Space Telescope Science Institute, described the phenomenon and called Saturday's light show a "coronal mass ejection."
Griffin said the Southern Lights were caused by a geomagnetic storm that peaked and was entering the "tail off" period.
Referring to Saturday's breathtaking show, he said to Stuff,
The sun basically blasts off some material and it struck the earth, or it impacted the earth's magnetic field, and that's what gave life to [Saturday's] beautiful Aurora and, certainly, it was pretty stunning.
Yup. It was definitely stunning.
For a better understanding of how the Southern Lights look in person, check out this time-lapse:
If you're living in Christchurch, New Zealand, you might have another chance to view the Southern Lights tonight -- so make sure you get your cameras ready.
While you're watching the sky, the rest of us will keep staring at pictures of the phenomenon and hope that someday we'll be able to witness the aurora in person, too.
Citations: Southern Lights return to New Zealand skies for a second spectacular night (NZ Herald), 'Perfect' Weather Conditions Allow Southern Lights to Stun Stargazers (STL Today), Missed the Southern Lights? Try again next month (Stuff)
