A rare celestial event could bring a splash of colour to Pretoria’s night sky tonight.

Following an intense solar storm, experts say the spectacular Aurora Australis — better known as the Southern Lights — may be visible much farther north than usual.

While the best views are expected along South Africa’s southern coast, sky-watchers in Pretoria could still catch a faint glow or shimmer if conditions are clear and light pollution is minimal.

But what is the Aurora Australis?

According to the We are South Africans Facebook Page, it is a natural light display caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with Earth’s magnetic field.

It said when a solar flare (in this case, a powerful M8.2-class flare) sends a massive plasma cloud hurtling toward us at over 1000km/s, it disturbs our magnetic field… and that’s when the magic happens.

Watch the video here:

This type of geomagnetic storm, rated G4 to G5 by space weather agencies, is very rare and powerful.

Usually, these auroras are only visible in Antarctica or the southernmost parts of New Zealand or Chile.

The Facebook Page said there’s a real chance of spotting them from the southern and eastern coasts of South Africa —and possibly even deeper inland.

Here are some viewing tips:

• Go to a dark location, ideally away from heavy city light pollution.
• Look towards the south to south-east horizon (for Pretoria/central-South-Africa).
• Avoid times when the moon is very bright or when it’s cloudy – light pollution and clouds will reduce your chances.
• Adjust your eyes to the dark — give your eyes ~20–30 minutes in the dark to pick up faint glows.
• Even if you don’t see anything dramatic with your naked eye, get a camera out — sometimes the aurora shows up on long exposures even if it is barely visible to you.

ALSO READ: Answers demanded over Pretoria school placements

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter