By Lachlan Forsyth
New Zealand star gazers are hoping for a spectacular show tonight, following a burst of solar activity.
A series of enormous sun flares has boosted the likelihood the country will witness aurora australis, or the Southern Lights.
But not everyone will get the same view.
*Have you snapped any great photos of the Southern Lights? Email us: noles@tv3.co.nz
Solar flares are massive explosions on the sun's surface, and are often pretty spectacular.
But for the last few years New Zealand’s closest star has been noticeably quiet - until now.
“It's not particularly powerful but what is unusual about this, particularly unusual, is that we have two simultaneous explosions on the sun,” says Dr Grant Christie, of the Stardome Observatory.
Watch the extended interview with Dr Grant Christie
The "solar tsunami" that was seen rippling across the sun's surface on Sunday, was one of two that shot high energy particles out through space like a shotgun blast.
“As these high energy particles hit the atmosphere they cause it fluoresce, like neon lights,” says Mr Christie.
The contact with the earth’s atmosphere causes the spectacular Southern Lights.
Tekapo photographer Fraser Gunn has been capturing the phenomenon for years – he is eager to see just how big this event might be.
“There will be an aurora happening, how long it will last for, how big it will be is still anybody's guess,” he says.
“…but I can only hope it's going to be a really huge one!”
Usually it is regions closer to the poles that can see the Southern Lights rather then their northern counterparts.
“This far north in the country it would have to be a very strong event and you only see the top part of it this far north - it would only be a red glow in the sky,” says Mr Christie.
Mr Gunn says there's no knowing just how impressive the nighttime display may be.
“With the time lapse photography the camera can gather all that light and it can look absolutely spectacular, but for your eye to be able to see it it needs to be very bright and very active,” he says.
Mr Christie says if you miss out tonight, not to worry.
“If you're interested in aurora, they're only going to get better for the next three or four years,” he says.
If they are big enough, solar flares can wreak havoc with communications and power grids, but thankfully tonight's event is nowhere near that size.
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