An aurora australis lights up the sky above the Clyde Dam in Central Otago. Photo: ODT filesA fast-moving coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun hit Earth yesterday, causing a severe G4 geomagnetic storm and a spectacular aurora australis was expected across southern skies last night. While the forecast for Dunedin was quite cloudy, he was confident the skies would be clearer inland. Dr Griffin said it meant more aurora might be visible in southern skies for the next few days. While rain was forecast for most of Otago, the skies above Southland were expected to be clear for most of the night.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 20, 2026 16:21 UTC