In the early hours of Anzac Day, an Aurora Australis filled the skies - and cameras - of Canberrans willing to take a short drive across the border.
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Chris Chia has been hooked on astrophotography for four years now, and made the most of this irregular event.
He had been monitoring the solar flares for the past few weeks with friends and like-minded photographers, and was determined to capture the perfect pictures of the sky.
And that he did.
"I could see the flares coming into play as the sky got darker and darker," he said.
"It started with a pinkish tone across the horizon, and gradually built up as it got darker and, wow, the colours began to pop and became more and more vibrant.
"An added bonus was that the Milky Way was perfectly lined up, and with my knowledge I was able to pre-plan my shots to get the best pictures possible."
Mr Chia captured the aurora at Williamsdale Road just 18 minutes from where he lives, and was joined by around 80 other photographers and onlookers on the roadside.
The lights in the sky were caused by a severe geomagnetic storm which reached the fourth level of a five-tiered G-scale used by the Australian Space Weather Alert System.
Events of this scale can affect power grids on the ground, communication networks, satellites and aircraft navigation, according to Weatherzone.
They also occur approximately 20 times during an 11-year cycle, making the opportunity to view the lights even more special.
The aurora was visible from South Australia, Western Australia, central NSW and the outskirts of south Canberra, but the brightest lights were seen from the darkest parts of Tasmania.
"Last night was just splendid, it looked like the lights and beams were dancing," Mr Chia said.
"I once tried to get a picture of the Aurora Borealis when I was in Canada and Alaska, and I had no luck.
"Anyone with a camera and a tripod can give it a try, and there were even some people will mobile phones that were having some success."
He said experiencing an event like this puts your position in the universe into perspective.
"It's a good form of therapy for me - to reflect, enjoy the fresh cool air and the beauty of the universe, and to be truly glad to be alive," he said.
"I would encourage people to go out and look up in the skies, good places to go would be around Lake George, Namadgi and the Arboretum."
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Sara Garrity
Sara writes about general Canberra news. She has previously worked as the journalist at Allhomes, writing about property news through a Canberra lens. You can email story ideas or tips to Sara at sgarrity@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Sara writes about general Canberra news. She has previously worked as the journalist at Allhomes, writing about property news through a Canberra lens. You can email story ideas or tips to Sara at sgarrity@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
