A natural phenomenon could also be observed in New Zealand: the aurora australis

New Zealanders are sharing colorful photos of the aurora australis on social media. “I had another amazing experience in New Zealand. I saw the Northern Lights with my daughter,” Amanda wrote on Twitter.

The aurora borealis or australis, also known as the aurora, is created when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the atmosphere via the North or South Pole. These particles have enormous speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second and, after penetrating, collide with high nitrogen and oxygen particles in our atmosphere, between 100 and 300 kilometers in altitude.

These collisions cause the particles in our atmosphere to have an increased level of energy. To get rid of this high level of energy, the particles emit energy in the form of light: the aurora borealis or australis.

must be dark

The best time to see the Northern Lights is between March and September, and the Northern Lights between September and April. “If you want to see the southern aurora, it must be dark out there,” says Middendorp. “But in New Zealand it’s already autumn, so it’s already quite dark.”

It therefore makes perfect sense that the aurora australis is visible there at the same time as the aurora borealis here. “It’s not that crazy.”

In the Netherlands, the natural phenomenon could be observed during the last two nights. Dozens of people came to the coast for this. They went to the northern provinces and Zeeland, among other places.

Normally, the weather conditions in which the Northern Lights can occur mainly occur near the polar regions, such as in Lapland. Now we can also see the Northern Lights in the Netherlands. “It’s pretty special,” says Middendorp. “The clear weather these days plays an important role in this.”

Also tonight you can see the Northern Lights in the Netherlands. “And maybe the night after.”