Lab Notes: Why aurora season isn't over yet

Astrophotographers have had another great month, with the aurora australis lighting up night skies as far north as southern Queensland.

And while you might've heard that the best of this bunch of auroras is behind us, don't put your camera away just yet. There's good reason to think the southern lights will illuminate the sky well into 2026.

It all depends on what the Sun shoots in our direction … and we might find ourselves in the firing line more often over the next few months.

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

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Featuring:

Brett Carter, space weather researcher at RMIT University

More information:

The Sun Reversed Its Decades-long Weakening Trend in 2008

When the southern lights are seen further north

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Taungurung people.