In Search of the Southern Lights

When you experience the aurora australis, dramatic landscapes, longer stays and slower travel are part of the appeal

Experience a different celestial phenomenon in the Southern Hemisphere. The aurora australis, or southern lights, is seen in Tasmania, Australia.

Alamy Stock Photo

Jessica Baltzersen,

AARP

Published April 23, 2026

Key takeaways

Instead of viewing the aurora borealis, head to the Southern Hemisphere to see the aurora australis.
Fewer crowds and protected dark-sky areas make southern destinations appealing.
Destinations to consider include New Zealand; Tasmania; southern Australia; Ushuaia, Argentina; and Antarctica.

In mid-March, on a boat crossing Lake Wānaka on New Zealand’s South Island, there’s a slight bite in the wind. As Ngahuru, or autumn, settles in across the Southern Hemisphere, and conditions below the equator become more favorable for glimpsing the aurora australis, or southern lights. The boat captain unlocks his camera roll to show me images of fluorescent green ribbons washed with red and purple light that he captured the night before. On this night, however, I’m not as lucky. Still, the possibility that all the right conditions might align perfectly underneath an expansive, star-littered sky is enough to satiate my sense of awe. Perhaps it’s this allure of fleeting, natural wonder that drives the pull of astrotourism, especially for travelers 50-plus.

Road Scholar, the nonprofit organization focused on educational travel for older adults, saw a 68 percent increase in enrollments for its astronomy programs last year.

What’s unique about the southern lights

Fraser Gunn, astrophotographer and observer-technician at the University of Canterbury for Mount John Observatory, has spent 18 years capturing and studying the phenomenon of the southern lights.

“The [lights] in the Southern Hemisphere tend to look more like a curtain [because] you’re looking sideways at them,” says Gunn. “So, looking sideways at the aurora, you get to see the really high altitude, maybe the purply blue colors of the ionized nitrogen.”

By contrast, in regions closer to the North Pole, the aurora, or northern lights, is directly overhead. There, he says, viewers looking straight up are more likely to see only its brightest color: green.

Plan your trip wisely

Even though the aurora is never guaranteed, travelers can tilt the odds in their favor by planning around a new moon, when skies are darkest, and during winter, when longer nights offer a wider viewing window.

Shona Sangster, group leader and site coordinator for Road Scholar, also recommends allowing multiple days of viewing opportunities: “Plan a trip for a good few days to a week in a suitable location, not just one night.”

Ultimately, the strength of the aurora depends on the sun’s activity. “We are just past solar maximum, which occurred in late 2024, so activity is still relatively high at the moment,” says Andrew Jackling, a space weather forecaster at Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology. “Whilst we are now in the declining phase of the cycle, historically, this phase has still produced significant geomagnetic storms.”

Consider these locations for southern-lights viewing, often under protected, dark skies, with the added bonus of fewer crowds than for northern-lights viewing.

people's silhouettes with the southern lights in the background

“The [lights] in the Southern Hemisphere tend to look more like a curtain [because] you’re looking sideways at them,” says Fraser Gunn, an observer-technician at the University of Canterbury for Mount John Observatory in New Zealand, where these southern lights were photographed.

Courtesy Fraser Gunn

South Island, New Zealand

Spanning Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park and the Mackenzie Basin, the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, offering one of the best places in New Zealand to observe the night sky.

Visitors can stay in a SkyScape cabin within the dark sky reserve to increase their chances of seeing the aurora without leaving their room. Another option is to book local stargazing tours, such as those offered through the Dark Sky Project, with wheelchair-accessible tours available through the Dark Sky Experience and Virtual Stargazing Experience.

“Look at the Dark Sky Network [New Zealand] website as a guide for good areas to stay in, and check out the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand for events happening around night-sky viewing,” Sangster says. “Tours that are designed around night-sky viewing areas are also an excellent option to get the benefit of local knowledge.”

Further south, Queenstown and Wānaka make it easy to fold aurora viewing into other South Island adventures. Spend leisurely afternoons on lake cruises or tasting local wine before checking the forecast on apps such as SpaceWeatherLive, Glendale and Aurora Map once night falls. In the heart of downtown, Skyline Queenstown provides gondola rides up Bob’s Peak after dark for a guided stargazing tour, where it’s possible to catch sight of the lights.

trees with the southern lights in the background

Tasmania, Australia, offers one of the best opportunities to see the southern lights because of its proximity to the southern polar region.

Getty Images

Tasmania and southern Australia

On the eastern shore of Tasmania, Australia, Lisa Bromfield, 51, astrophotographer and the Tasmanian Stargazer, has seen close to 100 auroras, including many from her home.

“There’s always something different to see,” says Bromfield. “We think of space and the night skies as being static and not changing, but it’s not, it’s always different.… They’re the things that stand out to me and what make [the aurora] beautiful.”

Tasmania, roughly 150 miles south of mainland Australia, offers one of the best opportunities to see the southern lights in Australia because of its proximity to the southern polar region. Hobart, the state capital, offers one of the most convenient bases for aurora chasers, with private tours, such as the Hobart Stargazing tour, available for those who want to remain close to the city.

“You can drive pretty much anywhere for half an hour and be completely in the remote countryside with no lights around … and just the most amazing view of the aurora,” says Bromfield, who helps lead stargazing tours atop Kunanyi/Mount Wellington.

Rising straight from the base of Hobart, Mount Wellington’s 4,167-foot summit is also a great viewing option that’s accessible by bus from the central business district.

During strong geomagnetic storms, when the planetary K-index (Kp index) is typically rated Kp 5 or higher on a 0-to-9 geomagnetic scale, the aurora can also be seen from other parts of South Australia, such as Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria. Travelers seeking a luxurious stay may even be able to watch the aurora from Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island.

a homes and a cityscape with the southern lights in the background

The aurora australis glows on the horizon as seen from Ushuaia, Argentina, in May 2024.

Alexis Delelis/AFP/Getty Images

Ushuaia, Argentina, and beyond to Antarctica

Often called the “end of the world,” Ushuaia, Argentina, offers one of the more adventurous gateways to the southern lights. For travelers already planning to explore Patagonia, accommodations like Arakur Ushuaia Resort atop a plateau in the Natural Reserve Cerro Alarkén provide the perfect setting for catching a nighttime show.

Sailing deeper into the Southern Ocean, the aurora appears strongest when you’re closer to the auroral oval. Routes to places like the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica provide some of the southernmost viewing spots. Paired with elusive wildlife sightings and the haunting beauty of one of the most remote places in the world, there are plenty of viewing opportunities on cruise decks if conditions allow.

Even if the aurora isn’t visible, experiencing the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere is a chance of a lifetime. “You will still experience the wonder of our southern skies,” Sangster says. “We see much more of the Milky Way than is visible in the Northern Hemisphere and have lots of fantastic astronomical features not visible in the north.”

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The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Jessica Baltzersen is an Ohio-based freelance journalist covering travel and the outdoors with a focus on conservation and the environment for National Geographic and Sierra Club magazine, among others. View more of her work here.