Spectacular Aurora Australis lights up parts of southern Australia

A massive solar storm has created rare and spectacular auroras around the world. Communities as far north as Queensland saw southern lights often only seen in Tasmania and people across Florida and Alabama also got a rare glimpse of northern lights.

The Aurora Australis illuminates the sky from Brighton beach in Melbourne. (Photo by George Hitchens / SOPA Images/Sipa USA) Source: SIPA USA / George Hitchens / SOPA Images/George Hitchens / SOPA Images/Sipa USA

The aurora borealis and aurora australis, also known as the northern and southern lights, are more commonly seen on a much smaller scale.

The southern lights, when they occur, are usually only visible from Tasmania and parts of New Zealand.

The far more famous northern lights are usually only visible from parts of northern Europe and Canada.

But in mid May, the spectacular curtains of purple and green light graced skies as far as Queensland in Australia, as far south as Spain in Europe and all the way down to Florida in the United States.

So, why did it happen?

Well, it has everything to do with solar weather, magnetic fields and far flung particles from the sun.