Aurora Australis in Southern Tasmania this month

Local photographers around Hobart have captured dazzling images of the Aurora Australis as scientists predict solar activity to reach the peak of a twelve-year cycle.

A eucalyptus viminalis in front of an Aurora Australis (Supplied: Jonathan Esling)

Source: ABC Local Photos (Tasmania)

Dr Phil Wilkinson is assistant director of the Ionospheric Prediction Service (IPS), a branch of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology which deals with 'space weather'.
He says as we move towards solar maximum, auroras could occur as often as once a month over the next two to three years.
"Tasmania is the home of the Australian aurora," he says.
Auroras occur when charged particles enter the Earth's upper atmosphere, in a region known as the auroral oval, sparking the light show about 100 kilometres above the surface.
Dr Wilkinson says the best place to see an aurora is away from major urban light sources, on a clear, moonless night, when the Milky Way is clearly visible. Read more ...

Aurora Australis taken from a backyard porch in Glenorchy at 1am. (Supplied: Robert Todd)

RELATED LINKS
Australian Antarctic Division
IPS Bureau of Meteorology