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The Southern Lights In New Zealand

People are looking at the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it is glowing on the horizon over the waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand, on August 12, 2024. The Southern Lights is a natural phenomenon of vibrant natural lights. It is caused by solar activity, particularly a coronal mass ejection that is sending charged particles and gas into space. It typically takes these particles three days to reach the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles before entering the atmosphere. Upon entering, the energy and particles are combining with atmospheric gases to create a spectrum of colored lights in the sky. (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#11471256
Date Taken	12 August 2024
Location	N/A
Photographer	Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto

Aurora Australis Southern Lights glowing horizon waters Lake Ellesmere outskirts Christchurch August 12 2024 natural phenomenon vibrant lights solar activity coronal mass ejection charged particles gas space magnetic field lines north pole south pole atmosphere energy particles atmospheric gases spectrum coloured lights sky photo Sanka Vidanagama NurPhoto natural lights solar particles coronal ejection.