It’s not often you head out after your evening meal, tell your better half, "see you in a couple of hours", and then wonder why the sky is getting bright because the sun is rising. You realise you will get home at the same time the ODT is delivered and that you will be in the dog house for being out all night.
In my case, I certainly wasn’t out carousing. My excuse for an unexpected all-night session was I got so absorbed photographing last Monday morning’s incredible display of the aurora australis that I forgot to go home after a couple of hours and stayed up until dawn.
The display lasted all night and was undoubtedly one of the best since moving to Dunedin 10 years ago. It also raised my excitement at the prospect of even brighter auroras over the next few weeks, months and possibly years.
I’m expecting more auroras over the next few weeks because, close to the equinoxes in March and September, the alignment of the interplanetary magnetic field and Earth’s magnetic field is such that they can cancel each other out. This creates holes in Earth’s magnetosphere through which particles from the solar wind can flow, creating auroras when they interact with the atmosphere.
I also expect more auroras over the next few months and years because solar activity is increasing rapidly as the sun heads towards an 11-year peak known as "solar maximum", which could occur anytime between now and 2026.
The fact this particular solar cycle is much more active than astronomers predicted is also pretty exciting news for aurora chasers like myself.
Some ask me why I chase auroras.
Last Monday, at 01.48 am, I had been up for 19 hours. I was cold and exhausted. I was doing something I absolutely loved, namely watching the aurora australis. So I indulged myself with a salute to the beauty of one of the finest auroras I have seen in New Zealand.
I hope this week’s accompanying image goes some way towards explaining why I’m an aurora addict.
