Watch amazing time lapse of Aurora Australis over Sydney

Aurora Australis lights put on a spectacular display this week

Aurora Australis lights put on a spectacular display this week (YouTube)

Over the past few nights, Australia’s southern states have enjoyed vivid skies, shifting in colour from swathes of red to yellow.

Watch the incredible sight of Aurora Australis in a time lapse captured from Bilgola Beach Sydney.

The aurora is caused by electrons emitted in a burst from the Sun that reach the Earth’s atmosphere. Once they get low enough – about 100km above ground – they start to collide with atoms in the upper atmosphere, and an amazing glow is created.

There are expectations that there will be another burst of activity on Thursday night, which the southern states will be able to enjoy. The best viewing times suggested are one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.