South Island residents have been left "dancing with absolute joy" after seeing a dazzling display of the Southern Lights overnight.
The Aurora Australis, more commonly known as the Southern Lights, lit up the sky last night, with multiple people sending their photos to 1News.
Deb Stutter-Fill and Ria Masae, who saw the Aurora Australis in Ōtepoti/Dunedin late last night, said witnessing the sight was a "bucket list" moment.
The pair were led to Smails Beach after a Facebook group said the lights may be visible.
"We could see something out to sea, on the horizon, with our naked eye – you could see some kind of movement... all of a sudden the pinks and greens started to appear," Stutter-Fill said.
"The pinks were so vibrant... you couldn't see the whole thing with your naked eye but once you held up the camera, you could see it," Masae added.
"We were teary-eyed."
Stutter-Fill said it was "magic".
"The lights were dancing across the sky."
How does the Aurora Australis occur?
Stardome astronomer Rob Davison explained to 1News what needs to happen for us to witness the Aurora Australis.
He said that simply put, the lights are seen because of the way the sun interacts with the atmosphere.
"The lights occur when particles from the sun charge electrons, get caught by the Earth's magnetic field, directed to the [Northern and Southern] poles, and all of those interact with the gases in the atmosphere... and the gases release the energy as light," he said.
He said New Zealand has had some impressive displays of Aurora Australis this year, and the best is yet to come.
"The sun goes through this cycle of minimum and maximum activity. It doesn't affect the weather, but it does have an impact on the strength and how frequent good aurora displays occur.
"As we are heading for the maximum [levels of sun activity] we are more likely to get shows like we have had recently, over the next few years."
Where you can see the Aurora Australis
Unfortunately for North Island-dwelling residents, Davison said people in the North Island are less likely to witness the light display.
"The further south you can get, the more likely you are to see the display," he said.
He said even those who live in the South Island would need to look towards the southern horizon to get a good view.
"We don't get it as much as Norway or Iceland, but we have had some very strong displays that have reached all the way up into the North island.
"With a bit of luck, people in the North Island might be able to see them as well."
Most of the time, people don't get a lead-up time to know how likely a good display is, Davison said.
He said that there are resources online to give an indication if the aurora will be visible.
"You need a bit of patience — you need to be outside, ready, waiting, and then hope that you're not waiting all night."
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