Australians in the southern states may catch a glimpse of a second aurora in 2024, with forecasts suggesting if it does happen it will be at its most viewable on Tuesday night (July 30).

A large portion of Australia experienced a particularly strong and visible aurora in May, but this one is likely to only be visible to Tasmanians and Victorians.

A senior meteorologist from the Bureau of Meteorology told News.com.au that people in Tasmania were likely to witness it if cloud cover dispersed, while there was a chance that people in Victoria may see it too.

“I think what’s really going to be a determining factor is how much cloud we have lingering,” she said.

“Unfortunately, we do have cloudy conditions over this week.”

People can track weather events using the Bureau of Meteorology’s Space Weather app, which will alert when there is a high chance of another event.

The Bureau released an aurora alert on Monday morning.

High likelihood?

Alan Duffy, an astronomer from Swinburne University, told The New Daily in May that 2024 is expected to be a good year for such phenomena.

“There are a maximum number of sunspots and hence a maximum number of storms and this is the year where we should see the most number of storms,” Duffy said.

“You never know exactly when there will be an eruption, but once one occurs, we can track it and see as it develops, essentially like any weather system moving towards us.”

The solar maximum is a period that occurs every 11 years within the solar cycle that dramatically increases the chances of aurora and geomagnetic storms.

What is an aurora?

Auroras are caused by material erupting from the Sun that crashes into the Earth’s protective magnetic field, which acts as a shield.

The high-energy particles that form from the Sun are directed towards the Earth’s poles, which can create reds and greens in the sky from oxygen, and blues from nitrogen.

Other parts of the globe have experienced the show too.

Best viewing

A large portion of Australia experienced a particularly strong and visible aurora in May, but this one is only likely to be visible for Tasmanians and Victorians.

If the storm is powerful enough, people in South Australia and parts of New South Wales may be able to view it too.

May’s geomagnetic storm was of considerable strength, ranking the highest since October 2003.

Auroras are predominantly witnessed in the far north and south of the globe, near the Arctic and Antarctica, with many tourists visiting nearby countries for tourism.