This time lapse of the Southern Lights is completely mesmerizing
We constantly rave about the Aurora Borealis, but we can’t forget to praise the ethereal atmospheric phenomenon that illuminates the skies below the equator. This amazing time lapse of the southern lights shows us that the Northern Lights aren’t the only breathtaking sights in the sky. As the star of designer and photographer Che McPherson‘s short film, the southern lights — also known as Aurora Australis — could be seen putting on a captivating nighttime show over Queenstown, New Zealand on Sunday, May 28.
Characterized by greenish or reddish streaks in the sky near the south pole, the southern lights’ dazzling display is nothing short of mesmerizing.
McPherson is no stranger to photographing auroras, but he was still super impressed with the light show depicted in his time lapse video, which was compiled from three hours of footage.
“[This] aurora was a little different to the ones I’ve seen before,” McPherson told Storyful. “This was beautifully dancing as it lit up the sky, with the most intense green I have seen from any aurora.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQMlaEowRjk?feature=oembed
The Southern Lights show didn’t escape the notice of many social media users, who posted their own photos of the green shades completely taking over the sky. false
Lady Aurora was visible this evening even before it was fully dark #auroraaustralis pic.twitter.com/c9DjR3kp1y
— Dr Pippi Longsock (@PippiLongsock) May 28, 2017
Another pic of Sunday’s #auroraaustralis in #Dunedinnz taken on 35mm film. 2min exp #filmisnotdead #aurora #NewZealand #landscapephotography pic.twitter.com/1zYzhM1yvz
— Ian Griffin (@iangriffin) May 30, 2017
The Aurora Auralis can be viewed from Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile and New Zealand. Like their colorful companions to the north, the southern lights are a result of gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere colliding with electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the planet’s atmosphere, producing colorful streaks of light across the sky.
