Finding the Elusive Aurora Australis (”Southern Lights”)

Posted by Mike Richard on October 24, 2007
Filed under: Antarctica, Photography, Sidelines

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Here in New England and across the upper reaches of North America, folks talk of seeing the Aurora Borealis or “Northern Lights”. This incredible light show is a result of electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Aurora Australis (ā€¯Southern Lightsā€¯)
Photo © Te Aara

It’s truly a stroke of luck and good timing if you happen to be fortunate enough to witness the Aurora: a mix of right place, right time, and right weather. After living in New England for over ten years, I’ve still yet to see it.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Northern Lights have a lesser-known and lesser-talked about sister down at the South Pole - Aurora Australis or “Southern Lights”. That’s because it’s difficult to witness this equally stunning and beautiful display of light outside of Antarctica and points far south within the Southern Hemisphere. And even then, typically only during the six months between March and September on the clearest, coldest nights.

Anthony Powell (a.k.a. YouTube’s “Antzarctica”) captured the Aurora Australis on the short film below over a ten minute period, near Antarctica’s McMurdo Station and Scott Base.

Reason #4,534 why Antarctica tops my RTW to-do list.

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Vagabondish editor, Mike Richard, lives in Rhode Island - a spit of land in the northeastern U.S. He is a professional web designer and travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, camping, hiking and seeing the world. He enjoys knit hats, small, declarative sentences and speaking in the third person.



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Comments

Rene
October 25th, 2007 - 1:43 pm

Talk about elusive; for the last few months, we’ve been chasing them down from Duluth, MN all the way to Maine, and still no luck. Thanks for the clip though, at least we can see them that way.