Home › Aurora Tonight › Tasmania & Southern Australia (Aurora Australis)
Can I See the Southern Lights in Tasmania & Southern Australia (Aurora Australis) Tonight?
Live NOAA SWPC geomagnetic telemetry paired with centered-dipole geomagnetic latitudes (46.8°S – 51.8°S) and local horizon vs. overhead Kp thresholds for Tasmania & Southern Australia (Aurora Australis). Updated Sun Nov 1, 12:02 AM ET (auto-refreshes every 60 seconds).
Live Tonight Status for Tasmania & Southern Australia (Aurora Australis)
NOAA's current Kp (4.67) and 3-day forecast peak (Kp 4.67) are currently below Tasmania & Australia's southern-horizon threshold of Kp 5.0 (overhead requires Kp 7.0).
Best seasonal window: Year-round (longest dark nights April – September; equinox peaks in March & September) · Look direction: South · Compare all 28 State, Province & Region Guides or check our Live Space Weather Dashboard.
City-by-City Aurora Thresholds in Tasmania & Southern Australia (Aurora Australis)
Centered-dipole geomagnetic latitudes (WMM2025 pole at 80.85°N, 72.76°W) and minimum Kp required on the southern horizon vs. directly overhead. Status badges update automatically from live NOAA telemetry.
| City / Area | Coordinates | Geomagnetic Lat | Horizon Kp | Overhead Kp | Tonight's Live Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cockle Creek / Dover (Far South Tasmania), AU Closest road in Australia to the southern oval (~51.6°S geomag); Kp 4.5–5 |
43.58°S, 146.89°E | 50.3°S | Kp 6.5 | Kp 8.5 | QUIET — Needs Kp 6.5+ |
| Hobart / Bruny Island, Tasmania, AU High southern geomagnetic latitude (~50.9°S); southern horizon at Kp 5–5.5 |
42.88°S, 147.33°E | 49.5°S | Kp 7.0 | Kp 9.0 | QUIET — Needs Kp 7.0+ |
| Launceston / Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, AU Northern/Central Tasmania (~49.4°S geomag); southern horizon at Kp 5.5–6 |
41.43°S, 147.14°E | 48.1°S | Kp 7.5 | Kp 9.0 | QUIET — Needs Kp 7.5+ |
| Melbourne / Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, AU Southern coastal horizon during G2–G4 storms (Kp 6.5–7.5) |
37.81°S, 144.96°E | 44.8°S | Kp 9.0 | Kp 9.0 | QUIET — Needs Kp 9.0+ |
Best Dark-Sky Viewing Locations in Tasmania & Australia
- Bruny Island (The Neck) & South Arm Peninsula (Goat Bluff / Clifton Beach, Hobart): Unbroken views straight south over the pitch-black Southern Ocean just 35–60 minutes from Hobart.
- Cockle Creek & Southwest National Park (Tasmania): At the southern end of the road network (~43.6°S geographic, ~51.6°S geomagnetic) with Bortle Class 1 skies.
- Kunanyi / Mount Wellington & Seven Mile Beach (Hobart): Elevated summit overlooks and lagoon reflections.
- Cape Schanck (Mornington Peninsula), Phillip Island & Great Ocean Road (Victoria): South-facing mainland headlands looking directly over Bass Strait with zero light pollution to the south.
Seasonal & Cloud Timing for Tasmania & Australia
- Year-round visibility in Tasmania: Unlike 65°N Arctic hubs that lose darkness in summer, Tasmania's ~43°S geographic latitude keeps 5 to 6 hours of full astronomical darkness even in December and January!
- Winter darkness bonus (May – August): Austral winter gives 10+ hours of darkness per night so you can catch early evening substorms between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. AEST.
- Zero southern light pollution: Between Tasmania/Victoria and Antarctica lies nothing but 2,500 km of dark Southern Ocean water.
Phone & Camera Settings for Tasmania & Southern Australia (Aurora Australis) (46.8°S – 51.8°S Geomagnetic)
- Look and point your camera DUE SOUTH: Aurora Australis rises from the southern horizon—use a compass app or look toward the Southern Cross and Magellanic Clouds.
- 4–8 second exposures at f/2.8, ISO 3200: Aurora Australis from Tasmania and Victoria is famous for vibrant pink, magenta, and gold/green vertical beams that camera sensors pick up brilliantly.
- Smartphone Night Mode (3–10 seconds): Rest your phone on a tripod facing south at Clifton Beach, Bruny Island, or Cape Schanck to capture vivid colours.
Want step-by-step exposure tables? Read our full iPhone, Android & Camera Aurora Photography Guide and Aurora & Solar Observing Gear Guide.
Vetted Dark-Sky Stays, Guided Chases & Field Guides for Tasmania & Southern Australia (Aurora Australis)
Planning an overnight dark-sky trip in Tasmania & Southern Australia (Aurora Australis) (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia) or comparing high-latitude lodges directly under the auroral oval? Use the vetted links below:
- 38 Vetted 3★+ Aurora Resorts, Glass Igloos & Wilderness Lodges: Compare top-rated stays (4.3+/5 across 100+ reviews) in Fairbanks, Yellowknife, Churchill, Tromsø, Abisko, Rovaniemi, and Iceland.
- Aurora Chasing & Space Weather Field Guides: Vetted books by Dr. Melanie Windridge, Tom Kerss (Royal Observatory Greenwich), and Dr. Stuart Clark on Books & Further Reading (Bookshop.org).
- All 78 Cities & 28 State/Region Tonight Guides · 78-City Aurora Calculator · Live Space Weather Dashboard · Free Embeddable Space Weather Widget
FTC affiliate disclosure: Lodging links above route to Booking.com and Expedia via Stay22 (aid=solarevidence, campaign=aurora-tasmania-australia), activity links go to GetYourGuide (partner_id=Z35Q282), and book links go to Bookshop.org (130218). If you book or buy through them, Solar Evidence may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. All affiliate links carry rel="sponsored nofollow noopener". Commissions never affect our NOAA data thresholds or evidence ratings. Affiliate policy.