On Sunday afternoon, June 1, Central Coast photographer Jill Ashby grabbed her camera and headed up to Crackneck Lookout hoping for a rare sighting of the Aurora Australis and hit paydirt.
“At around 8.15pm, as the skies got a little darker, a light pink glow appeared towards the south and grew larger and stronger as it crept around the headland,” Ashby said.
“At first it was only visible through a camera or phone lens but at the time of taking my photos you could see the glow with your naked eye, coming across the sky under the Milky Way and reflecting in the ocean.
“I watched with just a few others who had turned up hoping to catch something and we all felt extremely lucky and grateful to be there.”
The website weatherzone.com.au says the Aurora Australis occurs when charged particles emitted by the Sun rush towards Earth and interact with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing a reaction that results in bright displays of colourful lights in the night sky.
“A severe geomagnetic storm caused the Aurora Australis to be visible from parts of SA, Tas, Vic, NSW and the ACT on Sunday night,” the website says.
