Millions of Aussies Alerted: Strongest Solar Flare in 20 Years Triggers Aurora Australis

A powerful geomagnetic storm is set to light up the night sky all around Australia in vivid colours. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a rare alert that a "severe geomagnetic storm" is in progress, which may be seen in nearly every state. It is the strongest solar radiation storm in over 20 years, since October 2003. The powerful weather event is expected to trigger the stunning aurora Australis, also known as the southern lights. And Swinburne astrophysicist Dr Kirsten Banks told Yahoo News Australia this alert in particular is "very exciting". "Aurora may be observed during local nighttime hours in good observing conditions at regions as far equatorward as equatorial latitudes," the alert states. This includes Tasmania and Victoria, plus parts of NSW, ACT, SA and WA. What is a geomagnetic storm? According to Dr Banks, the sun released a "pretty intense" flare on January 18, which sent "a coronal mass ejection, aka a solar burp, pointed directly at Earth." "The flare was rated as an X-1.9 flare which is one of the most intense types of flares," she explained. "Solar flares fall into four levels of intensity – B, C, M, and X – where B are the weakest types of flares and X-class flares are the most intense. "The blast from the coronal mass ejection reached Earth on the 19th of January and started to interact with Earth’s magnetic field, setting off a severe geomagnetic storm.” The intensity of the storm is rated on a scale of 1 to 5. "G1 storms are minor. This storm is rated at a G4 currently – severe," she said. What can Aussies expect to see in the skies? For geomagnetic storms rated at the G4 level, mostly southern parts of Australia are likely to see some level of aurora, Dr Banks said. "Tasmania, Victoria, southern parts of South Australia and Western Australia have a good chance of seeing the aurora,” she said. "More northern latitudes in NSW, more of South Australia and Western Australia also have a chance of seeing some weak aurora in the skies. "The Bureau of Meteorology Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre is predicting that aurora may be visible as far north as Alice Springs.” How to spot Aurora Australis To catch a glimpse of the Aurora Australis, timing, location, and visibility are everything. Associate Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Monash University, Michael Brown, told Yahoo News that those across Europe have already seen some "wonderful" auroras overnight. "We can hope the storm continues into this evening in Australia," he said. "Auroras can be quite fickle, so there’s no guarantee of auroras tonight." "You may not see much with the naked eye, but your phone camera will start to pick up the aurora light first," Dr Banks added. For the best view, it's advised to head as far south as possible and stay away from city lights. Look to the southern horizon on a clear, moonless night, and give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. While the lights may appear faint to the naked eye, they often appear vivid on camera, so keeping a tripod and a long-exposure setting handy can make all the difference. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.