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The southern lights, or Aurora Australis, are unusually bright this season in New Zealand, BTA reports.

The night sky, filled with streams of green and pink light, fascinates aurora hunters, many of whom stay up all night to get the perfect shot.

Richard Zheng, a relatively new spotter, took up residence at Brighton Beach in Dunedin this week to take pictures.

He said the intensity of the southern lights had become "even stronger" compared to last year.

"Faced with such a scene, one can instantly forget all one's problems and only complain about the insignificance of human beings in front of nature," Mr Zheng told the BBC.

They captured a beautiful Northern Lights over Lapland

The Southern (and Northern) lights are observed around the magnetic poles when the upper atmosphere is affected by streams of charged particles that move along the Earth's magnetic field lines.

When these charged particles collide with gases in the atmosphere, they emit light.

In the northern hemisphere, the phenomenon is called Aurora Borealis, and in the southern hemisphere, Aurora Australis.

At this time of year, the auroras are usually seen in the southern regions of Australia and New Zealand.

There was a particularly intense show last Friday night local time.

Observers say the lights are so bright this year that they have even been seen far to the north.

Since moving to New Zealand's South Island last year, Dan Dirks has been monitoring the aurora forecasts in hopes of witnessing the sight of a lifetime.

“My camera captured the aurora borealis in all its glory.

Mission accomplished!" he says with satisfaction.

Although auroras can occur at any time, they are most likely to occur in March and September, when the Earth's orientation to the Sun is most likely to interact with solar storms, the Australian Space Prediction Center says time.

The nuances of the aurora are determined by the composition of the atmosphere.

With more oxygen in the air, green and yellow colors are produced, while with more nitrogen, the aurora borealis appears dark red or blue.

On a clear night, the natural light show can last from one to three hours.

Usually the phenomenon occurs between 22:00 and 02:00.

For photographers chasing the aurora borealis, scientists recommend setting up in a dark location with a view to the south, perhaps on a hill or a beach.

In the Northern Hemisphere, bright auroras have also recently been spotted in Europe.

New Zealand

southern glow