A vivid display of the Aurora Australis could be seen from several Australian states overnight, with sightings even reported from the Blue Mountains near Sydney.

Earth is currently in the throes of a geomagnetic storm caused by a solar coronal mass ejection that occurred on Sunday. This solar event caused the Aurora Australis to become visible from parts of southern Australia on Sunday night into Monday morning.

What is the Aurora Australis?

The Aurora Australis occurs when charged particles emitted by the Sun rush towards Earth and interact with gases in Earth’s atmosphere, causing a reaction that results in bright displays of colourful lights in the night sky.

Auroral displays occur at high latitudes (closer to the poles) in Earth's northern and southern hemispheres. Weak auroral events are only visible closer the poles, while strong events can be seen at much lower latitudes, even as far north as Queensland.

Sunday night lights

A severe geomagnetic storm caused the Aurora Australis to be visible from parts of SA, Tas, Vic, NSW and the ACT on Sunday night.

Image: Aurora Australis seen from Gerroa Headland on the night of Sunday, June 1, 2025. Source: @lillyraemedia / Instagram

Image: Aurora Australis from Redhead Beach on the night of Sunday, June 1, 2025. Source: @mickfortierphotography / Instagram

Curtains of red could be seen at the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains as the aurora lit up the night sky over central NSW. Similar scenes were witnessed at Gerroa and Basin View to the south of Sydney and at Red Head Beach near Newcastle.

Image: Aurora Australis seen from Glen Alpine in Sydney on the night of June 1, 2025. Source: Corine Brown

Image: Aurora Australis at Shoalhaven, NSW on the night of June 1, 2025. Source: @micksamsonphoto / Instagram

Other captivating images were captured in the ACT near Canberra and at SA’s Adelaide Hills region.

Image: Aurora Australis as seen from the Adelaide Hills in SA on the night of June 1, 2025. Source: @godwardphotography / Instagram

The geomagnetic storm that caused Sunday night’s auroral displays is expected to gradually weaken over the next couple of days. However, the aurora may again be visible from parts of southern Australia on Monday night.