With unprecedented interest in Aurora Australis due to the wide reach of social media and the recent large geomagnetic storms on 17 March and 23 June we have received a huge amount of questions regarding viewing locations and times etc. While not comprehensive and without making this a short novel we will attempt to describe the best viewing locations around Australia and NZ, if you are in a populated area the amount of light pollution will impact on your viewing quality, also the moon does not set tonight until around 12.23am (25/6) and this can wash out the colours of the Aurora.
The most basic of all information is to be aware of your local weather conditions, Aurora Australis is viewable after dark, if the storming is very strong you may see it at sunset or sunrise, local cloud will impact on viewing and when considering your location for viewing you should look at your local weather. A good low horizon which faces south is of primary importance, looking down from a hill or mountain or on a beach would be ideal, if you have a large mountain range in front of you this will impact on how much of the Aurora you can see. Also you must consider your personal safety when out chasing Aurora, it is best if you have prior knowledge of the area you wish to go to and to not be alone, having a preliminary scout during the day is always a good idea if possible. Please advise someone if you are going alone in case something happens to you, if you are changing locations please update your contact persons.
Naked eye v’s camera, of course modern digital cameras pick up colours and shapes during long exposures that the naked eye cannot see. When looking with naked eye you may see a white mist or searchlights moving across the sky they may have some slight colour, you may only see white, you may see bright colours, this is variable because everyone’s eyes are different and also the strength of the display and your latittude will also be a factor. Enhancing your night vision by not looking at your phone or the back of your camera and giving your eyes up to 30 mins to adjust will benefit naked eye viewing.
Best settings for a digital camera, a camera capable of taking up to 30 second exposures, that you can change the iso value 1600 is good if you can go to 3200 and above that’s great, your focal length is not really important you can capture aurora with a 50mm lens you don’t need a wide angle but be aware that you may not be able to fit it all in one frame, if you have some experience you can always try to make a panorama. A fast lens which is capable of a wide aperture is great f3.5 will capture aurora, f2.8 is better, lower is better still as you can shorten your exposures, and capture more movement, of course having a tripod and a remote shutter is good as well, in a pinch you can rest your camera on a jacket or a fence post or the roof of your car and you can use the self timer and press the shutter button, leaving a 2 second delay would be good.
Now for locations, this is a basic list which includes some places near populated areas feel free to add more locations in the comments below
NZ
Auckland, Muriwai hilltops Wellington, Red Rocks Beach, Christchurch Lake Ellesmere, Ashburton Birdling Flats, Kaituna Quarry, Invercargill, Dunedin,Queenstown, all most anywhere in the south with a low horizon
Tassie, all over beaches are good around Hobart facing south, Launceston Nile road Evandale, East coast the beaches, it has been seen at Queenstown Tas as well, the north of the state, around Stanley, Burnie, Devonport all good
Victoria, Flinders Blowhole, Phillip Island, Anglesea, Geelong, Port Phillip Bay, Cape Schanck, Bairnsdale, Apollo Bay, Warnambool, Swan Hill, Stawell
NSW ` Kiama, Gerringong, Jindabyne, northern beaches of Sydney, Gerroa
SA - Victor Harbour, Goolwa, Cape Jervis, Beachport, Robe
WA, Albany, Esperance, Augusta,
NT, was seen above Uluru on 17 March
QLD – was seen near Esk on 17 March
I hope this helps the uninitiated somewhat when it comes to deciding where to go and what to expect, the predictions released this morning is for a strong storm to be hitting earth around 10 am Thursday morning (25/6) this may change as we get closer to the time, these predictions can vary in strength and timing ( timing by up to 6 or 8 hours) therefore the storm may be weaker or stronger than predicted and arrive earlier or later, obviously if it does arrive at the stated time of 10am we are all out of luck. We will endeavour to provide updates when we know of activity and actual sightings, please feel free to help each other in the comments section for locations and and other advice, we do try to reply to all requests for information but at times the sheer volume means that some will be delayed in replying or missed (volunteer admins like sleep occasionally )
Good Luck for Aurora Chasing over the next few days