Ask any traveller (including us) and everyone will tell you that the Northern Lights is one of their dream destinations to visit. But what if we told you there’s an even better natural phenomenon waiting to be witnessed — the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights! Scroll down. By Amitha Ameen
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The Northern Lights has and continues to be on the wishlist of literally everyone on the planet. Our Instagram feeds have always been flooded with photos and videos of this electromagnetic phenomenon. While Aurora Borealis has captured our imagination all these years, we have found a new natural phenomenon that we have already fallen in love with — the Aurora Australis.
But here’s the thing – you will have to be really far south to even catch a glimpse of this elusive display. Since only less than 1/3rd of land on the planet is situated South of the Equator, it is very difficult to catch this spectacle unless you are in the right place at the right time.
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This spectacle takes place when charged solar particles strike with atmospheric atoms of oxygen and nitrogen. Collisions at different levels throughout the thermosphere creates an array of stunning hues.
Unless you are lucky enough to be in the exact place where this stardust is correctly aligned, you will only see different coloured lights, like a burst of the rainbow. Some of the places where you can catch sight of this natural firework display of sorts would include Ushuaia in Argentina, the world’s southernmost city, Invercargill and Stewart Island, New Zealand, South Georgia Island, Antarctica, Punta Arenas, Chile, The Falkland Islands and Tasmania in Australia.
We cannot wait for the travel bans to be lifted so that we can immediately plan our trip to catch a glimpse of the southern lights, our newest obsession.
Related: #TNLVirtualTour: Northern Lights
