Sara Nesteriak captured the unpredictable Aurora Australis on Tuesday night
Camera IconSara Nesteriak captured the unpredictable Aurora Australis on Tuesday night Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Mandurah photographer captures rare Aurora Australis

Rachel FennerMandurah Coastal Times

A MANDURAH photographer unlocked an achievement when she captured the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights on Tuesday night.

Sara Nesteriak said she’s been chasing unpredictable auroras for about “a year or so”.

“I think I’ve tried about six times or so, and last night, Perth Weather Live posted saying they were active, so I raced down to the back of South Yunderup where I live,” she said.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

“The whole time out there I wasnt sure if I was getting it or not, but after processing the images and fixing the balance in the image… bam.”

Check out more amazing photography here.

It’s rare to capture Aurora Australis this far north and most photographers head to Tasmania or Antarctica to capture them.

The aurora happens when the sun releases a burst of solar wind and magnetic fields into space.

Solar winds contain particles which interact with the Earth’s magnetic field.

When the particles and the field collide they produce energy which appears as auroras.

Ms Nesteriak said they cannot be seen with the naked eye.

“These image where taken over a 30 second exposure,” she said.

“In the past, people have captured the aurora as far north as Perth.

Amature astronomers and photographers can head to this website to find out when the auroras will appear next.

To check out more of Ms Nesteriak’s photography head to her Facebook page.