‘It was incredible’: Junee woman captures striking aurora australis on her iPhone

THE Riverina has been treated to another rare night-sky spectacle, with the aurora australis washing the southern horizon in colour on Tuesday night — a display described by observers as one of the most vivid seen across Australia in decades.

Reports of the southern lights came in from wide stretches of the country, spanning Tasmania to central Queensland and across multiple states, as one of the strongest geomagnetic storms ever recorded slammed into Earth’s atmosphere.

Junee local Jade Bramble, a long-time aurora enthusiast, captured the display from a vantage point on the outskirts of Junee, positioning herself away from town lights for the clearest possible view.

Aurora australis as seen from the Junee Shire on Tuesday, 20 January, 2026 | Photo: Supplied/Jade Bramble

Her photographs were taken between 11pm and 11.30pm, after what began as a cloudy evening.

As the weather shifted, the cloud cover cleared “just in time”, delivering crisp conditions that allowed the colours and vertical beams to come through.

“It was incredible last night. I could see the beams in the dark — it didn’t last nearly long enough,” Ms Bramble said.

“I was so pleased with them. Last night was definitely the strongest that I’ve been able to capture.”

Aurora australis as seen from the Junee Shire on Tuesday, 20 January, 2026 | Photo: Supplied/Jade Bramble

Ms Bramble said it was at least her third or fourth time photographing an aurora, but Tuesday’s event stood out not only for its intensity, but for how she captured it.

“This was the first time that I propped my phone against something rather than just freehand,” she said.

Using an iPhone 15 Pro Max, Ms Bramble experimented with longer exposures to draw out the colour and structure of the aurora.

“Some of the shots were 10 seconds and others were 30 seconds,” she said. “I didn’t use a tripod. I had my car window propped open and used it as a tripod so I didn’t move the camera.”

Aurora australis as seen from the Junee Shire on Tuesday, 20 January, 2026 | Photo: Supplied/Jade Bramble

Why the aurora was visible from Junee

Tuesday night’s display marks the fifth time the aurora australis has been visible from Junee in the past two years, as the Sun moves through its solar maximum phase — a period when solar activity increases and auroras can be seen further from the poles than usual.

Auroras occur when charged particles and energy released from the Sun collide with Earth’s upper atmosphere and interact with the planet’s magnetic field.

Aurora australis captured over Junee on Wednesday, 12 November 2025 | Photos: © The Junee Bulletin

That interaction energises atmospheric gases, producing the shimmering light displays known as the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Australian Space Weather Forecasting System had issued an alert for a severe geomagnetic storm on Tuesday night, signalling heightened potential for auroral visibility across southern and inland regions.

A growing run of Riverina aurora events

The Riverina has seen a notable increase in aurora sightings during the current solar cycle, with multiple events photographed across the region in recent months and the past two years.

While auroras can appear faint to the naked eye, modern phone cameras — particularly with night mode and longer exposures — can reveal vivid colour and banding that may not be immediately obvious in real time, especially from darker locations outside town light glow.

Aurora Australis captured over Junee on Sunday, 1 June 2025 | © The Junee Bulletin