WELLINGTON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Skywatchers across New Zealand were treated to a celestial spectacle as the Aurora Australis, also known as the southern lights, graced the night sky on Saturday.
From North Island to South Island, clear skies have provided optimal viewing conditions as the colourful display captivated curious onlookers across the country.
The Aurora Australis occurs when charged particles from the solar wind interact with Earth's magnetosphere, creating vibrant displays in the upper atmosphere. Although New Zealand is not typically far south enough to witness these lights, Saturday night's rare geomagnetic storm combined with clear skies provided a unique opportunity for New Zealanders to experience this cosmic phenomenon.
New Zealand national weather authority MetService meteorologist Clare O'Connor told local media that the event was an uncommon sight for New Zealanders.
The geomagnetic storm affecting Earth as a result of solar activity has been upgraded from G4 (Severe Geomagnetic Storm) to a G5 (Extreme Geomagnetic Storm) event.
Transpower, New Zealand's national grid operator, confirmed that it had temporarily switched off some North Island power assets during the geomagnetic storm, and disconnected some in the South Island earlier, as a precautionary measure to protect critical infrastructure from potential disruptions caused by the intense solar activity.
University of Otago physics professor Craig Rodger told the public that the rare geomagnetic storm was exciting rather than scary.
Despite reaching G5, the top scale for geomagnetic storms, Rodger said it has only just passed that threshold. It was the largest such storm in more than a decade in New Zealand, but not as big as those in 2003 or 2001, Rodger said, adding that in 2001, a transformer in Dunedin on South Island was knocked out. ■
