For Aurora Australis hunters, those folk who devotedly chase the magical coloured knots, swirls and curtains of light that twist and unravel in the southern skies, the forecast is looking good.
The natural lightshow caused by activity on the sun is likely to deliver some standout shows in coming years, as the sun enters an activity cycle that will send highly energised particles Earth's way.
Iver Cairns from Sydney University's school of physics said while it was hard to forecast, generally the sun had an activity cycle lasting 11 years. He said recent displays of light over Tasmania were evidence that the solar maximum phase was now dominating, meaning solar flares and coronal mass ejection were occurring more frequently.
Professor Cairns said the colours seen in the skies over Tasmania in recent days related to the molecules that were being excited by excess energy generated by solar activity.
But it's more than just a light show. Those with a trained eye know that there is a colour code to explain what particles are being energised.
Red signals atomic nitrogen and yellow sodium, while green refers to atomic oxygen. Meanwhile, the movement of the clouds and swirls are associated with turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere.
"They are magical to watch," said Professor Cairns, who also runs the research network Sydney Spacenet. He said sometimes the aurora moved like lightning – travelling at up to 100 kilometres a second.
Launceston construction industry detailer and amateur photographer Jason Stephens is one of a growing number of Tasmanian Aurora Australis chasers. He became hooked after seeing a photograph 18 months ago that was so stunning he could scarcely believe it was taken in his home state.
"It's quite beautiful to see," he said. "Sometimes I do forget about the camera and just stand there watching it."
But as Professor Cairns points out, there is a self-preservation aspect to understanding the power of the Aurora Australis.
Studying space weather, including the aurora, means being better able to predict the impact it has on the electrical currents in the Earth's atmosphere.
"Those electric fields and currents have effects on, for instance, power lines, GPS signals and radiation damage to humans," Professor Cairns said.
Fundamental science also benefits. But in a world where the global economy is built on electricity and space data is relied upon for communications, being able to manage and protect infrastructure is vital.
"The importance of space weather, and being able to predict it, is increasing rather than decreasing."
While Melbourne and Sydney only see the southern lights perhaps once every few years, Tasmanians could see the aurora up to 10 times a year.
