Hey, everyone!  Are you sick of hearing about the aurora yet?  Well, I’m not!  What an exciting weekend it was – with the aurora visible over much of the globe.  That’s two space events bringing the world together in just about a month… the Total Solar Eclipse and now, the aurora!

I’ve talked about the auroras frequently in my posts.  You all know how obsessed I am with it.  Living in Queenstown, with a close(ish) proximity to the south pole, we are lucky enough to see the aurora now and again.  But to see the aurora in Arizona?  In Mexico?  In lower-latitude European countries?  It’s pretty incredible.  The solar storm on 11^th of May was one for the books.  It was listed as the strongest storm since Halloween of 2003.  Before that? The 80s. W O W.

Impending Solar Storms

As someone who is looking through solar activity daily, I was aware that Aotearoa New Zealand was potentially in for a treat over the weekend.  Although, I’ve gotten my hopes up time and time again, only to be met with cloudy skies, near misses, full moons that drown visibility, and poor space-y conditions that inhibit the intensity of the aurora.

What made this weekend so particularly fascinating is that there were estimated to be five coronal mass ejections (CMEs) heading towards Earth throughout the weekend.  Some of them, if they would make impact, were predicted to give us a pretty decent show.  As with the aurora I witnessed in December, there was a suggestion that the CMEs would “cannibalize,” making the storm even stronger. 

While scientists interpret plenty of data to predict when the CMEs might reach earth to cause an aurora, it is never perfect.  They give estimates, but they give the caveat that arrival time could be +/- 7 hours, if not more or less.  So, the waiting began on Friday night.  The first CME was predicted to hit Earth around 6am… but it could always be sooner. 

The experience I’ve had with auroras tends to be… the bastards always shine brightest while I’m sleeping!  So I decided to set two alarms throughout the night – one at 2am, one at 5am.  I would wake up, check my app, check the Queenstown Live Cam to see cloud coverage, and then go outside if both of those things looked good.  Unfortunately, the CMEs hadn’t hit yet and so I went back to sleep.

Missing the Big Event

I woke up at 8am to volunteer at Kiwi Park and… the storm had hit, and it had hit in a BIG way.  Of course, it started at 6.50am, just before the sun was rising in Queenstown.  DAMN IT, how could I miss it?  Even if I’d been awake, it was incredibly overcast.  I wouldn’t have had a good show.

And yet, looking at the figures on my Glendale app, I couldn’t believe it.  The nT had reached -4000, which is the strongest number I’ve ever seen in my six months of daily monitoring on the app.  When I had my awesome aurora back in December, it peaked at around -2400, I think?  The lower the number, the better.  To give you all a baseline, on most days, the nT hovers between 0 and -100. 

In addition, the IMF (Interplanetary Magnetic Field) strength was insane.  I am still learning about what exactly this science-y stuff means, but essentially it correlates with how well the aurora will be visible.  On a typical day, nT can hover at 4 nT and BZ at -4.  All you need to know is that 73.8 and -50.1 are AMAZING.

I messaged my parents, letting them know there was a chance they could see it and then went off to Kiwi Park.  Already, I was praying to my HP to let the aurora stick around until nightfall in Aotearoa… and daytime had only just begun.  At least I had the wildlife to distract me!

The Waiting Game

After Kiwi Park, I went home, where I exercised and chilled out for a bit.  But then… my mom messaged me pictures of the aurora.  She was seeing it in Michigan, FROM HER BACK PORCH!  I had to call her immediately.  I was so happy she got to experience it, since she’d never seen one before.  A nice Mother’s Day gift from the universe.  I couldn’t believe how tall the beams were showing in her photos.  I thought if my parents would want to see it, they’d have to drive to the beach and look north and only then would see it very low to the horizon.  Nope!  RIGHT there in front of her.  “I thought I saw something in the sky and then I remembered they said online that sometimes it shows up better on pictures.”  Yep!

Once we finished our call, I couldn’t keep my excitement down.  All I wanted was for it to be dark.  I had my fingers crossed that I’d be able to see the lights, but I was also preparing for the very real possibility that cloud coverage could get in the way or that the storm would completely die down before nightfall.  Already, it had decreased since 6am.  I spent the next hour or so reading through various forums on SpaceWeatherLive.

Big Night at the Hotel

In addition to the aurora excitement, my roommate Jasper and I had big plans for the night.  At our job, employees are rewarded with a free night hotel stay and a $100 dinner voucher for every year they work at the hotel.  Jasper asked if I wanted to tag along for his work anniversary and to stay in the hotel room.  While we both thought it seemed silly to stay at a hotel that is located only five minutes away, I thought – what the hell?

However… I was really keen to go check out the aurora ASAP and our dinner plans were at 7pm – which would already be nighttime.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax, so I asked if there was any way we could change the reservation to 6.  We checked in around 5pm and then went up to the restaurant to ask.  Yep, no problem.  6pm it was! 

Jasper helped me get my mind off the aurora with a few other menial tasks around town, which helped distract me from the aurora haha.  We stopped to get his shoes from his car, walked around town, etc.

And then it was time for dinner!  It was so nice to eat at the hotel restaurant for the first time.  The food was SO good.  We shared a butter chicken, chicken skewers, and the “dessert board” for a sweet treat after.   It was fun to have our hostel mates serving and chatting with us.  Jasper and I always have a laugh together, too.  I’m glad he invited me! 

(I may or may not have designed the menu on the right!)

During dinner, Martin told us he’d gone outside to see the aurora.  It was visible steps away from the hotel, at Lake Whakatipu.  WHAT?  Although, I already knew because I was getting notifications from an aurora-based group chat that people were seeing it.  I was like, “I need to get out of here… NOW!”  I will say, I was pretty patient throughout dinner but once I’d heard Martin saw it right outside… I had to go haha.  Luckily, at that point, we were finishing dessert.

Lake Whakatipu

I couldn’t believe that the geomagnetic storm had been going for over 12 hours at this point.  People in Europe, America, and now Oceania had seen it.  Would I be able to?

Jasper and I hurried outside and as soon as we got to the lakefront, we saw a bright beam above the mountains.  There, she is.  I couldn’t believe it had been so long since I’d seen her.  “The lady” aurora. 

“Is it… pink?”  I couldn’t tell if my mind was messing with me or if I actually was finally seeing some pinks/reds in the sky.

I gave Jasper my phone tripod so he could take some pictures.  What I was witnessing didn’t seem too unlike anything I’d seen before – and so I wanted to mostly observe it with my eyes instead.  I did snap a couple of pictures, though, thinking maybe it wouldn’t last very long.  I was happy Jasper was able to see it.  While he’s seen one before, it has been over a year and it didn’t seem like that time was super bright.

It was chilly outside and so we decided to stop at the hostel to put on some warmer clothes.  We hustled home, changed, and then hustled to the Gardens.  The aurora was still shining in the sky, with that one pillar significantly brighter than the rest of the beams slowly drifting across the sky.

We met up with Abby, Tiago, and some others but I wanted to get somewhere darker.  There were a lot of lights around and I was determined to let my eyes adjust to the darkness so I could MAYBE, FINALLY see the aurora in color.  I walked to the other side of the gardens and sat down on a bench.  The aurora floated above The Remarkables.  Lovely.  After snapping some pictures, Jasper came and joined me.  The aurora seemed to come and go – switching from brighter to practically unnoticeable to the naked eye.

After maybe forty minutes, Jasper was getting cold and I wanted to get to my Sunshine Bay spot.  We stopped at the hostel, where I warmed up for a few minutes and checked the app to see what activity was looking like.  It had definitely waned… but it had been on and off all day.  Maybe it would kick back into gear again?

It was already 8.30pm at this point and while we’d lucked out with clear skies, clouds were supposed to start rolling in around 10.30pm.  I decided to go out again and try to enjoy the lights while I could.  Jasper stayed behind, but told me to let him know if the lights got really intense.

Intensity Builds

Steps away from the edge of town, I couldn’t believe my eyes. 

The aurora over Lake Whakatipu was brighter than I’d ever seen.  I could clearly see it passing through the sky, in a bright-ish white, maybe even with a tiny of mint.  The aurora was everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  In multiple bands, it danced across the sky.  I texted Jasper, “Oh, it’s real strong.”  As I walked along, I kept looking above the lake.  I decided I should take a few pictures, since it was such an incredible moment. 

I continued along, keeping my eyes on the sky, when I noticed the pillars were now reaching all the way up to above my head.  And it was… pink.  It was RED!

At Last, in Technicolor

Okay, now I REALLY couldn’t believe my eyes.  Such bright pillars, with a dark pink aurora dancing above my head.  I have heard of the “corona” before, but I never thought for a single second that I would be able to see the corona on that night.  According to NASA, “the corona is considered the most spectacular form of a rayed aurora, appearing overhead with all shafts converging to a center point.”

And boy, were they converging. 

Later, Jasper said it was like “sucking up into the sky.”

My head was tilted back as I walked along the footpath.  I kept circling around and around, looking at everything going on around me as I made my way to a darker location.  Everyone I passed, I said, “Isn’t this incredible?  Isn’t this fucking AMAZING?!”  Everyone was just as excited. 

The amount of people and cars out during this winter night was really neat to see.  Cars zooming past to get to a good “dark area,” people conglomerated at the lake taking photos.  I just love when people get as excited about the same things I do.

Of course, I had to thank my higher power.  What a special, special night.

I glanced at my app, and the storm was actually just as strong as it had been in the morning.  Over -4000 nT.

Once I’d arrived at my secret spot, where I thought I would be alone, I was disgruntled to see someone else on the other side of the bay.  I wanted to listen to music and sing, damn it!  And so… I decided to just sing anyway lol.  I figured they would eventually leave if it bothered them. 

I spent a little over an hour laying on the beach, bundled up in a scarf, sweaters and a coat.  I took the occasional picture, but mostly watched as the beams appeared and disappeared in various places.  The corona came and went.  But the one thing that was consistent the rest of the night was the auroral band, which was wider and more vibrant than I’d ever seen it.  I didn’t see much color after seeing the corona earlier in the night, but the auroral band was glowing. 

What a magical evening. 

Eventually, the clouds took over and it was time to head back into town.  I grabbed some things from the hostel, took them to the hotel room, changed, and then met up with Jasper and some other friends to go dancing.  We didn’t stay out super late.  Once back at the hotel, Jasper shared his aurora pictures with me.  I was happy he was able to experience the corona, too, and that he enjoyed it just like I had.

It took a while for me to fall asleep.  I was so excited from the events of the night.  I’m so glad it worked out. 

The next day, the people who had missed the event were eager for continued activity, but it wasn’t the case. While I hoped it wasn’t, I had a feeling the show was over. 

Since we’re in Solar Maximum (an 11-year solar cycle which goes up and down in activity), I have my fingers crossed for even more activity in the coming months.  Maybe even better than this one!

But jeez… what a show.  Thank you, sunspot region 3664!

Hopefully, the next time the sunspot rotates back towards Earth… it will be even stronger.

From SpaceWeatherLive: “So many of you saw aurora for the first time in their life. This is what we do it for. We witnessed space weather history. All of us. Together. Remember that.”

Miscellaneous

A few other moments from the week…

I was chatting with my friend Gene from Cairns, if y’all remember him.  He told me, “You’re my favorite tourist to come through Cairns by a long shot.”  So sweet!  Gene is pretty great, too.

Here in Queenstown, the sun is already behind the mountains at 4pm.  Winter is officially here (even though it’s only fall haha).  Locals are already talking about how chilly the weather is.  With my winter coat back with me from the states, it’s not feeling too bad yet!

I asked the peeps at Kiwi Park if I could potentially get a hat and they ended up giving me one for free.  I love it so much!  What a unique souvenir.

Jasper hasn’t seen a lot of iconic American movies, so a couple nights throughout the week I “cultured” him with exposure to Legally Blonde and Paris is Burning. Next on the list will be Spice World, Bring It On, and The Devil Wears Prada.  Open to recommendations!

Earlier in the week, my friend Juanito asked me if I wanted to get coffee after work so I could practice my Spanish and he could practice his English.  We went to O’Connells food court and ended up practicing together for a little over an hour.  It was a nice time!  Hopefully to be continued in the future.

During Aurora Day, I was in the kitchen having a late lunch and some of the Filipino peeps invited me over to share some food with them.  They were celebrating a birthday and the food presentation was so cool.  They put saran wrap all over the table, then had a huge amount of seafood in the center, surrounded by sticky rice and two large fish.  The flavour was incredible and I was pleased to have been invited.

And lastly… a happy Mother’s Day to all the mommas out there – but especially mine.  I love you so much, Ma!  Thanks for being you and for doing all that you do.  You’re a legend!  (Side note: Joey said, “Happy Mother’s Day to your celestial star goddess mama.  Quite apt!)

Art of the Week

Aside from this drawing, I recently had my friend Ash ask me to add some color to his business logo. What a cool proposition! And another friend asked me to design her a tattoo. People have been ordering from my RedBubble site, too, which is really nice. The link is on the sidebar (“Buy Merch”), if you’re interested!

Reflections

In terms of the aurora… I will never forget this night. After being fascinated and slightly obsessed with the aurora since 2015, and having seen them at least 9 times… the 11th of May 2024 was one for the books. This was the first time I was able to see aurora in color with the naked eye – a dream I’ve had since the start. Technically falling into a mild “colorblind” category, I worried I might never see the color. And luckily, that concern has been dispelled.

I have been in Queenstown for six months at this point. How could it be longer than Perth? Well, if you remember one of my recent posts… time is weird.

It felt like I was in Perth for SO much longer.  And yet, I have had a really special time here in Queenstown.  I’ve made some awesome friends, have gone on excellent hikes, learned to slackline, bought a van… I’ve seen kiwi in the wild, volunteered consistently at a wildlife park, seen THE AURORA IN COLOR, and so much more. 

Earlier today or maybe yesterday, I was thinking how spoiled I am with gifts from our universe.  At times, it’s too good to believe.  The eclipse, the kiwi, aurora in color.  Geez.  I think to myself, how could life get any better?  How could I even ask for more, after everything I’ve been given? While I hope to live many, many more years of this beautiful life, if I died tomorrow, I think I would be pretty satisfied with everything I’ve experienced.  My life has been so amazing.

So, what’s next?

My next big trip is a long weekend to Oamaru to try and see yellow-eyed penguins but leading up to that, I don’t have much planned. 

Until next time… sending you all my love! xx