Bring me your solar wind and magnetosphere

February 20, 2008 6:57 AM

Will I see the southern lights in New Zealand?

I'm going to New Zealand on Monday and staying for about 4 weeks. We're going as far south as Dunedin and staying there for a few days. Any chance we'll might see the Southern Lights? Any at all?

I know it's a bit of a long shot, as the sun is going through a quiet period, I subscribe to the Aurora watch email and there hasn't been one sent for ages.

posted by Helga-woo to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

Dunedin
posted by hal_c_on at 7:34 AM on February 20, 2008

I grew up in Dunedin. It's possible to see them, if circumstances are right. The 2001 display was particularly spectacular. (here's another great pic to go with hal_c_on's.) Go up Signal Hill, at the north end of town for a good view.
posted by gaspode at 7:57 AM on February 20, 2008

It is impossible to look ahead and predict solar activity over the next four weeks, so yes there is a snowball's chance in you-know-what. However, as you noted, at the moment the sun is in a very quiet phase. It would probably take an earth-directed CME to trigger aurora that could be seen as far north as New Zealand. The SpaceWeather home page has an aurora map that can be changed to New Zealand, if you want to keep tabs on your chances while you are there.

Forget the aurora, however: You have a chance to see a whole set of stars and constellations from the Southern Hemisphere that are below the southern horizon from the Northern Hemisphere. Southern sky charts available here.
posted by spock at 9:40 AM on February 20, 2008

Dunedin native here too, but I don't like your chances. I lived there for 22 years, and only saw them about 4 or 5 times. Chances of getting a view in 4 weeks is pretty much nothing.
posted by scodger at 10:30 AM on February 20, 2008

It occurs to me to add to my previous statement

if circumstances are right (and they rarely are).

As scodger said, in the 26 years I lived in Dunedin, I saw them a handful of times.
posted by gaspode at 11:20 AM on February 20, 2008

Well, quite, if circumstances are right you can see the aurora borealis in London. But, urm, well yeah.

Thanks guys, guess I'm still booking that holiday to Finland in winter 2011.

And Spock that site's great, and yes, I am most certainly going to spend me some time gazing at southern skies.
posted by Helga-woo at 12:57 PM on February 20, 2008

Dunedin is only at latitude 46 degrees South. Tacoma is at about 46 degrees North. How often would you expect to see the aurora from Tacoma (ignoring the issue of city lights)?
posted by Class Goat at 8:04 PM on February 20, 2008

Dunno. Where's Tacoma? ;)

This is the furthest south I'm going to get for a long time, and the city lights are a big issue where I am. We don't get to see much of anything, you can barely make out Orion in London. I knew it was a slim chance, I just wanted to find out how slim a chance it was.
posted by Helga-woo at 4:10 AM on February 21, 2008