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loopsataspool t1_je1x7s7 wrote

Gorgeous. I love how the green reads darker in the reflection in the water.

Were you very far South?

165

william_patino OP t1_je2as5q wrote

45 degrees latitude. On this night it was visible from the North Island and western Australia.

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Singo20 t1_je368ei wrote

Would have been if it wasn’t FUVKING CLOUDY

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Divadonuts t1_je3mwds wrote

Seattle here. I feel that

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rmorrin t1_je430wm wrote

I lived in northern Wisconsin for a long time. Every time you could see them guess what, it was cloudy

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chilispicedmango t1_jeaih78 wrote

Solution: move to the Russian Far East for frigid temps and clear skies during aurora season

1

NespreSilver t1_je4yu9j wrote

I was in Auckland 2 weeks ago and all I saw were roads under construction:/

3

SaltLakeCitySlicker t1_je3qor1 wrote

Dang. I'm moving back 45 north to dark skies and I've only seen a very slight aurora. Once

I am envious

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BurnZ_AU t1_je3bzuz wrote

Aurora Australis?
At this time of year?
At this time of day?
In this part of the country?
Localised entirely within your kitchen?

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BoardGameBologna t1_je3nz46 wrote

FUCK, I burned the goddamned soft rolls!

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ChuckOTay t1_je3w1sn wrote

And you call them soft despite the fact that they’re clearly hard?

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Megaknyte t1_je3v1jh wrote

Now I'm all by myself and I have to fucking eat fucking bread all night.

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zylian t1_je4tt50 wrote

Seymour! The house is on fire! No mother, it's just the Southern Lights.

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scarlozzi t1_je2g1ov wrote

I didn't know new Zealand gets southern lights! Beautiful

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Unique_Minute_1836 t1_je1wi66 wrote

What month did you take this picture….? It’s beautiful

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william_patino OP t1_je2ap9h wrote

March, about 2 weeks ago :)

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Greatluster t1_je38zih wrote

How do you know when there’s going to be an aurora?

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Taco_El_Paco t1_je39srw wrote

Solar flares. More due this Friday and Saturday courtesy of a hole in the sun that was observed yesterday

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ForgottenPercentage t1_je3sbu5 wrote

It is not as simple as solar flares. Not all solar flares produce CMEs. You need a solar flare that causes a coronal mass ejection (CME) which releases many particles to cause a good Aurora. Solar flares also come in varying magnitudes with M# and X# class flares being the strongest.

The CME needs be earth facing and preferably the interplanetary magnetic field is showing a negative Bz so that the interaction from the solar wind (CME) and earth's magnetic don't repel eachother.

Ofc you also want a cloudless night.

The sun is approaching solar maximum and is estimated to occur July 2025. This means increased sun activity, which means more sun's spots which means more flares and more chances for powerful earth facing CMEs. The sun goes through a solar minimum - maximum cycle on average every 11 years.

I use solarham.net and space weather to track sun activity for Auroral events.

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Yadobler t1_je4c52i wrote

But does CME happen without solar flares?

If so then seeing solar flares (which you can only see if it's facing the earth) is a good enough guage to approximate if AA or AB is happening.

Or in the contrapositive, no solar flare -> no AA

1

ForgottenPercentage t1_je4s5r8 wrote

CMEs can occur without solar flares although most large CMEs coincide with solar flares. It's not a well understood phenomenon.

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thisismyaccount3125 t1_je7li3h wrote

>July 2025

Noted.

also kinda temporarily forgot what year it was, panicked cause I didn’t know if this was one year or five years away for a second, both incorrect.

1

william_patino OP t1_je47f0g wrote

Check my YouTube channel for more of a ELI5 answer. Link is in the comments or just search my name there :)

2

william_patino OP t1_je2b6pw wrote

For anyone interested, you can view the making of this over on my Youtube Thanks!

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_SHOUTIN_ t1_je3lwmx wrote

Awesome video bro, lots of technical explanation and really captured what the experience was like that night, so good!

4

william_patino OP t1_je3rfsi wrote

Hey thanks a lot! Just hoping to educate and inspire. Cheers :)

2

niceToasterMan t1_je2wngw wrote

Is that Te Anau?

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BellaBlue06 t1_je2co2j wrote

Where? I just left NZ and had a wonderful honeymoon there. Got to see very faint auroras in Lake Taupo.

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DarkflowNZ t1_je45kjj wrote

Weh here I am living here and I had no idea. We really do take this place for granted

3

Thejenshow_01 t1_je36yyk wrote

I would love to see this in real time 🥺this photo is so perfect

6

kris533d t1_je3btai wrote

Looks nothing like it, unfortunately. You need a phone to see these colours

13

Thejenshow_01 t1_je3cj39 wrote

Aweh!! That’s a bummer

1

NikolitRistissa t1_je4h03e wrote

They can look phenomenally bright though! I’ve seen them a handful of times and the most recent time was because they were bright enough to be seen from my living room balcony.

They move quick. Much quicker than you’d expect so long-exposure photographs really make them pop.

3

starsky1984 t1_je3wy8y wrote

Oi! It's for Australians only!

(But unreal pic, looks awesome)

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william_patino OP t1_je44ith wrote

I’m an Aussie that’s moved to NZ, does that count? Haha. Cheers.

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DarkflowNZ t1_je45nzj wrote

Must have got sick of all the kiwis in aus lol. Good to see immigration this way for once!

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mmberg t1_je3kfpq wrote

Awesome image, William. And its great to see you here on reddit - one of a few pros.

5

william_patino OP t1_je3rlaj wrote

Thanks! I don’t post too often on Reddit but I enjoy using it :)

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dunedinamerican t1_je2lrsk wrote

Is this at Mavora? Looks awfully familiar! Lovely shot mate, nice one.

3

ASAmd t1_je2ukjr wrote

Beautiful! Most peaceful

2

IndyCarFAN27 t1_je3oihc wrote

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Aurora Borealis a bunch of times but never the Australis. Are they’re hard to track down? What weather should I expect to see them in? How visible are they to the naked eye?

2

germdisco t1_je40zkk wrote

The video they shared about the process gives a lot of good info

1

Matbo2210 t1_je41xr7 wrote

They’re basically the same afaik. While scientists have proven that they aren’t identical as once thought, they’re still pretty damn similar. They occur at the same time, so it the aurora borealis is out, the australis will be too.

1

gauchocartero t1_je524z0 wrote

Aurora borealis are easier to spot because places like Scandinavia, Iceland, and Alaska are above 60°N and they’re relatively easy to visit. It is very rare to see auroras outside these polar latitudes.

New Zealand and Patagonia, the southernmost inhabited places, only reach about 50° and 56°S respectively. These regions are extremely remote and difficult to travel to, and conditions are always less than ideal. The only place you can reliably see aurora australis is Antarctica, which is pretty much inaccessible.

1

Ghostpumpkin t1_je3qb08 wrote

Absolutely stunning picture! I'm in Western Australia and can't believe I missed it after seeing my NZ friends posting how good it was there. Can't say I didn't have heads up... I didn't think I'd ever see it as good as it was here. Went out at 9pm and it was sadly all over.

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nigeltuffnell t1_je3rik8 wrote

Hey OP. I've just moved to NZ. How do I get to see this?

2

william_patino OP t1_je3rq5t wrote

Check out the YouTube video. Link is in the comment thread. I try explain some of the factors to look for. It’s not too common though, it’s all about the sun blasting flares at us, essentially. Potential this weekend. Good luck!

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Veidici t1_je3x6jr wrote

Primarily in the far South Island though I think... If I remember correctly it was observed faintly in Welly once, but can't remember.

3

DarkflowNZ t1_je45v7b wrote

Glad to live in a time where talented people like you can remind me how beautiful the place we live in is. Really nice work mate

2

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1

toastibot t1_je32kgn wrote

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1

PeterGivenbless t1_je3i23t wrote

So frustrated that it has been cloudy every night in Christchurch; almost never get to see the aroura this far north!

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peatoast t1_je3m1gu wrote

This is amazing!

1

PalmettoState69 t1_je3mfwf wrote

God I would of loved to see this on some baby blue mushrooms 🍄

1

kulikwuacu t1_je3mpcf wrote

Absolutely breathtaking! Thanks for sharing this stunning photo of the Aurora. Nature never ceases to amaze me

1

hazeru t1_je3tl4l wrote

I would like to download this and use it as my wallpaper. I will flip it so that the dark side will be on my left where the icons are also located. Thanks!

1

xichael t1_je3vnhl wrote

Do you have a higher res copy posted somewhere? Would love to set this as my background

1

MelbStitchBitch66 t1_je3xk0i wrote

Very beautiful, resident of Melbourne Oz is so envious. Thank you for sharing!

1

neutralguystrangler t1_je484np wrote

I've seen the aurora borealis and it has nothing on this. Amazing photography OP!

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Sunset_love3 t1_je4ssu6 wrote

Wow, amazing photo! You should send it in to a photo contest!❤

1

kakarhoor t1_je4wobv wrote

This is so beautiful!

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DestroyaHULK t1_je5y8pj wrote

Its like there is another mountain in the water now

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slackeye t1_je7q55n wrote

please repost this on Pride Day hahaha.

beautiful photo, user!

0

hooksonwires t1_je3lxp3 wrote

And you call it Aurora Australis despite the fact it’s clearly in New Zealand?

It’s a regional expression.

−1

King_Stark t1_je4a5rl wrote

No it’s actually called Aurora Australis because Australis means southern in Latin. Borealis comes from a Latin word meaning extremely northern.

Australia is named after Terra Australis, which means southern land in Latin.

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Matbo2210 t1_je421a0 wrote

Aurora antarcticus would be a cool name to use instead

1