South Africans may soon witness a celestial spectacle usually reserved for the icy reaches of Antarctica — the Aurora Australis.
For most of us, the chance to see the Southern Lights from our own backyards is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Due to an unusually intense geomagnetic storm, the Aurora Australis might be visible across various regions in South Africa — from coastal cities like Cape Town and Durban to inland areas as far as Limpopo, depending on cloud cover and atmospheric conditions.
Typically, the Southern Lights are only seen from remote southern locations such as Antarctica, the southern tip of Chile, or Tasmania. However, a rare burst of solar activity is now pushing this phenomenon much further north than usual.
With the skies poised for an extraordinary display, this rare space weather event could offer a surreal splash of colour across the night skies and may be visible from other parts of the country.
According to the “We Are South Africans” Facebook page, this impressive event is the result of a powerful solar storm. The Aurora Australis is caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with Earth’s magnetic field. These collisions create spectacular light displays near the poles — green, purple and red ribbons that dance across the sky.
This particular storm is exceptionally strong, comparable to the red skies witnessed over parts of the world in May and October 2024.
Over the past few days, the Sun has emitted five significant solar flares, accompanied by Coronal Mass Ejections — massive bursts of solar plasma.
One of these ejections is on a direct path towards Earth, and it’s powerful enough to stir Earth’s magnetic field and possibly shift the aurora’s visibility range closer to South Africa.
To stand the best chance of seeing the lights, head to a dark, open area away from urban light pollution. Look toward the southern horizon and stay updated with the latest space weather alerts for the best viewing windows.
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