SOUTHERN LIGHTS

 On July 6-7, Earth passed through a region of interplanetary space with a south-pointing magnetic field. The encounter opened a crack in Earth's magnetosphere, allowing solar wind to flow inside. The resulting auroras were best seen in the wintry-dark skies of the southern hemisphere:

 

"These were the biggest auroras so far this year," says photographer Taichi Nakamura of Dunedin, New Zealand. "I rushed my 2 year old son and wife to finish their dinner, and I am glad I did. They enjoyed the show! It helped that the night was warmer than usual, not going under 0 degrees Celsius. I myself became so excited that I took more than 2500 shots."

More auroras could be in the offing. A slow-moving CME expelled from the sun on July 6th is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on July 10th. Minor geomagnetic storms are possible when the CME arrives.