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Australian stargazers will be treated to a dazzling light show for the next two nights after a massive photo voltaic explosion.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicted that unusual solar winds would cause an aurora australis to be seen on Friday and Saturday night.
The phenomenon, also known as the Southern Lights, is caused by photovoltaic activity that interacts with the Earth's magnetic field.
It is most active in places with minimal light pollution such as rural beaches or a hill as far south as possible to be closer to the South Pole.
The BOM's Space Weather Forecast Center said a “coronal mass ejection” is expected to hit Earth around midnight on Friday.
“Possibly resulting in significant geomagnetic activity and visible auroras during local nighttime hours,” the statement reads.
The center will issue more alerts if “significant geomagnetic activity actually occurs.”
It comes just months after the northern lights lit up the skies from Tasmania to the northern tip of Mackay following a massive geomagnetic storm in May.
Australian stargazers will soon be able to enjoy a stunning display of the aurora australis (pictured), or southern lights, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Monash School of Physics and Astronomy associate professor Michael Brown said it was difficult to predict how bright the phenomena will be.
“The sun has been particularly active this week and could lead to some excellent auroral displays on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night,” he said. Nine news.
“It is not clear exactly when the best aurora will be seen, as the aurora can be fickle and fleeting.
“But there are aurora-detecting social media accounts that can help you know what is seen from your part of Australia at any given time.”
Professor Brown said stargazers lucky enough to spot the lights should take photographs with their phones, which can highlight colors that are not “apparent to the naked eye.”
New Zealanders have already been able to enjoy the phenomenon that illuminated the skies of the South Island on Tuesday night.
Residents from Christchurch to Queenstown shared images of stunning pink, purple and green rays of light dancing across the night sky.
Similar images flooded social media during the May light show when millions of Australians had their yards lit up in the middle of the night.
The storm reached the level of a G4 geomagnetic storm, considered severe, which had not been seen in Australian skies since 2004.
The light show could soon be seen in southern skies after significant geomagnetic activity from the sun hits Earth's magnetic field.
While some Australians enjoyed the spectacular phenomenon, Sydneysiders and Canberrans missed out due to dark clouds and rain covering the view.
Director of the Australian Space Weather Prediction Centre, Kate Model, said geomagnetic storms are not dangerous to humans, but can affect technology and communications infrastructure.
“For example, satellites used for position navigation and timing could be affected, which could cause increased currents in the electrical network and things like high frequency or HF communications could also be affected,” he said at that time.
Colorful storms, known as the northern lights or northern lights, are also forecast this week across the northern hemisphere.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick managed to film the display dancing on Earth while aboard the Dragon Endeavor spacecraft.
More than half of the United States is expected to see some form of the Northern Lights thanks to the storm, which is now classified as “severe” in the Northern Hemisphere.