Editorial photo #13220310 Weather
The Southern Lights In New Zealand
People look at the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the horizon over the waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand, on January 21, 2026. The Southern Lights are a natural phenomenon of vibrant lights. Solar activity, particularly a coronal mass ejection that sends charged particles and gas into space, causes it. It typically takes these particles three days to reach the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles before they enter the atmosphere. Upon entering, the energy and particles combine with atmospheric gases to create a spectrum of colored lights in the sky. (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto)
