Aurora Chasing in the Blue Mountains

The G5 geostorm of 11^th May 2024 understandably generated massive interest from Australians eager to see the Aurora Australis phenomenon for themselves. For many, it was a chance to see the Southern Lights from a location close to home rather than taking a punt scheduling a trip to New Zealand or Tasmania. True to form as it seems with all events in the sky, the Blue Mountains, and most of NSW in fact, was covered by heavy cloud which meant most of us missed out on the show.

Now I’ll preface this by saying I am no physicist or space scientist, but I have been following and learning about the Aurora Australis for well over a year, and I ended up giving so many tips on social media during the activity peak that I thought I’d just jot them all down in one place for anyone interested.

I was lucky, or perhaps crazy, enough to capture beams between the rain and clouds on the big night in May, and some diffuse colour the following night when we were blessed with some clearer skies. Are they the shots I would have wanted? Definitely not, but that just means I’ll have to keep trying! I got luckier on 28th June when there was a surprise G4 storm and the skies were crystal clear. I got even luckier in the early hours of the morning on 11th October with another G4 storm.

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What is an Aurora?

NASA has a great layman explanation, but I saw a great analogy recently. Think of the aurora as the display that results from the Earths protective forcefield deflecting intense bursts of energy sent out by the sun. These bursts of energy will pass over us like a wave until the next one arrives.

You can purchase your copy of the below image in the store.

Can you see an Aurora at any time of year?

Auroras aren’t based on the time of year but originate from activity on the surface of the sun. Once the sun has sent out that energy a number of variables need to align in order for there to be an aurora result. You might have heard that its more commonly seen in winter, that’s not because there’s more auroras in winter, but because the extended hours of darkness mean there is increased visibility. The moon can also impede visibility.

The sun has an approximately 11 year cycle when it flips its magnetic poles, resulting in lots of activity. So if you think you’ve seen a lot more about mainland auroras than usual this year you possibly have. But bear in mind these days we all have a camera in our pocket and social media at our fingertips, so events are much more in our faces.

Where is an Aurora visible?

Aurora activity occurs around the poles of the earth, the distance from there it is visible will depend upon the strength of the activity and the conditions at the time.

Can Aurora’s be predicted?

The answer to this one is, not exactly. We know when a burst of activity emits from the sun, but our technology to measure it between there and earth is still limited. Think of it like throwing a rock from the shore into a river. You know when it leaves your hand, but the size and spread of the splash it makes depends on lots of other variables.

They were able to an extent to predict the G5 storm that hit in May due to the size of the rock the sun threw, but they certainly had no idea it would be visible as far North as well into Queensland!

On 28th June they knew that a hit was coming, however they expected the result to be a G1. Instead it was a G4 seen well into NSW, and this time the weather was on our side!

Thanks to the Stereo A satellite we’ll know about 90 minutes before an event hits. The best way to get current information is to download the Glendale App which provides activity alerts and a map of logged sightings from other Aurora chasers. You won’t find this in an app store but it can be downloaded from https://aurora-alerts.uk/ If you get to the point of purple alert – its definitely go time.

Another great source of information is Facebook groups. Not only will you get to see pretty pictures but its great for learning from people who have been chasing Aurora for a lifetime and getting the heads up on likely activity. The Aurora Australis Tasmania group welcomes members from across Australia, and there is a NSW/ACT/SA group which is great for when sightings are reaching the mainland. There is also the Aurora Australis group, and I have found that the admins of these groups are very knowledgeable and solid on their analysis and forecasts.

Oh and the Facebook groups are also great for checking whether you actually got the Aurora. Not only is there the possibility of it being light pollution but there is also a thing called airglow which can be easily mistaken by the inexperienced – and yep I’ve done it too!

Can you see the Aurora in the Blue Mountains?

It needs to be strong and it doesn’t happen all that often but it’s certainly possible. It was photographed over Mount Solitary by a local Blue Mountains photographer in 2023 (not me sadly, though I was shooting astro that night and may have caught some colour in some images) and was visible as far North as Dubbo at least once in 2023. We are currently in a very active period of the sun so there has been more opportunities than there would usually be!

It was again visible in the Blue Mountains on the 28 June during a surprise G4 storm.

Can the Aurora be seen with the naked eye?

Before the G4 storm on 11th October 2024 I would have said it was highly unlikely, but I saw it with my own eyes. It is important to remember it needs to be a strong storm to be visible to the naked eye, and it won’t look like what you see on camera. The camera is capable of capturing far more nuances of light than our eyes can see so at the minimum you are going to need a phone capable of taking longer exposure shots. With your eyes you may see some colour in the sky and potentially ribbons of white.

What you’ll need to see the Aurora in the Blue Mountains

A camera or phone capable of taking longer exposure photographs and preferably a tripod. Most phones have a pro-mode which enables long exposure photos.

Where can you see the Aurora in the Blue Mountains

You’ll need a location Southward facing with a view of the horizon and no light pollution. If you think of spots in the mountains where you can watch the sun rise or set, many of these locations have a much wider view. If you have a view 90 degrees to the right of sunrise or 90 degrees to the left of sunset then you have a view to the South. Some possibilities that come to mind are;

– Lawson Lookout (Springwood)

– Chalmers Lookout (Glenbrook)

– Kings Tableland Aboriginal Site (Wentworth Falls)

– Lincolns Rock, also referred to as Flat Rock (Wentworth Falls)

– Wentworth Falls Lookout

– Jamison Lookout (Wentworth Falls)

– Olympian Rock (Leura)

– Sublime Point (Leura)

– Lockleys Pylon (Leura) if you’re up for the walk

– Echo Point (Katoomba)

– Eagle Hawk Lookout (Katoomba)

– Cahills Lookout (Katoomba)

– Landslide Lookout (Katoomba)

– Hargraves Lookout (Blackheath)

– Pulpit Rock (Mount Victoria)

– Mitchell Ridge Lookout (Mount Victoria)

There would definitely be some spots along Narrowneck Plateau (Katoomba) and Mount Hay Rd (Leura) with a view South also.

If you are over the mountain in Lithgow, Hassans Walls Lookout offers a view South.

Tips for Aurora Chasing in the Blue Mountains

1. Join the Facebook groups and download the Glendale app to get up to date information. Remember predictions are just predictions, real-time data is far better! Watch for the alerts and check the map for logged sightings.
2. Find a Southward facing location with a view of the horizon and away from noise pollution. It helps to scope out locations in the day and know where you are going, rather than getting to crunch time and you don’t know where you’re going.
3. Take a camera and tripod or a phone capable of long exposures. If you have a tripod for the phone even better!
4. Don’t expect to see the Aurora with the naked eye. Take a 10sec test shot on your phone to see if anything shows up.
5. You might not see colour clearly on the back of the camera. On the 11th May the colour wasn’t super evident in my images until I was looking at them on the computer, however the sky was clearly red on the 28th June and 11th October when looking at the images in camera.
6. Take a blanket and supplies! You might be sitting out there a while without anything popping up.

Tips for photographing the Aurora on camera

1. Ideally, you want a wide aperture lens (this is your f-number and it should be as small as it goes.) A wide angle (short focal length) lens with manual focus would be preferable. My Astro lens is f2.8 and 12mm.
2. If you have a manual focus lens set it to infinity focus, or you can try and focus on a star if your camera can see it.
3. Set the ISO manually, having it on auto will confuse the camera. ISO of 1600-2000 should do.
4. Use a tripod. Turn off the cameras image stabilisation as the tripod will be doing this for you.
5. Set White Balance to daylight.
6. Experiment with exposure length for desired result. My images from the 28th June and 11th October were a 20 second exposure, which is about my maximum to attempt to have sharp stars.

If you’d like to learn more about the science, reading the data or Australian locations outside of the Blue Mountains, the book Chasing Aurora Australis is written by the admin of one of the groups I get my information from, and it contains over 1000 location options.

Good luck and happy Aurora chasing!