And to celebrate the ethereally beautiful night lights, Otago Museum has gathered some of New Zealand’s leading scientists on the subject, to give a speaking tour around the South, telling people how to find and photograph them.
Museum director Dr Ian Griffin said the sun was approaching its period of maximum activity, which meant there would be more auroras and southerners would have a higher chance of seeing them with the naked eye.
Dr Griffin will give the audience his tips on taking the best photos of an aurora, where to find them, how to capture them and the best techniques to use, whether it be with a phone or a digital camera.
The tour also features world-renowned aurora specialist and University of Otago physics professor Craig Rodger, who is leading a space weather research project on solar tsunami detection and preparation.
As well as auroras, solar activity could also induce geomagnetic currents with the potential to damage our electrical grid and communication systems, he said.
Museum science roadshow developer Toni Hoeta will also speak about aurora from a Māori perspective, including a talk about Hine-nui-te-po, or the Rainbows of the Goddess of Death.
The speakers will visit Invercargill Scottish Hall on Monday, Wakatipu High School Hall on Tuesday, Wānaka Library on Wednesday, Twizel Events Centre on Thursday and the museum itself next Sunday.
Dr Griffin said the speaking tour was launched to support the museum’s latest science roadshow, Solar Tsunamis, the science communication arm of the MBIE-funded space weather research from the University of Otago.
The roadshow will launch in Dunedin during the New Zealand International Science Festival and will tour throughout New Zealand in the coming months.
