The best time to see the southern lights or Aurora Australis in Aotearoa New Zealand is from March to September, when the dark night skies are longer.
A must-do for stargazers and aurora hunters' bucket lists, the Southern Hemisphere has its own phenomenon known as the southern lights, or Aurora Australis - and it's just like the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).
With one or two exceptions, the farther south you go, the better your chances are for a good show.
The skies light up with amazing shimmers of pink, red, green and even purple light, when solar winds pass through the atmosphere and react with the Earth’s magnetic field.
In March and September, during the equinoxes, the Earth’s two magnetic fields (the North and South Poles) end up pointing in opposite directions, allowing more of the solar wind to get through, resulting in strong geomagnetic activity. This is known as the Russell-McPherron effect.
One of the key stargazing rules is to have no light pollution to observe astral happenings, something New Zealand has in abundance.
The world authority DarkSky International(opens in new window) has seen fit to recognise Aotearoa New Zealand with several dark sky reserves, parks, and sanctuaries.
