Aurora Australis Tonight in Perth, Western Australia

Perth needs a very strong storm for the aurora australis: the forecast has to reach Kp 7.1. That is among the harder thresholds in Australia, so expect a handful of chances across a whole solar cycle, not a season of them. When a major storm is forecast, Perth's one advantage is its weather.

The city runs in a long strip along the Swan River and the Indian Ocean coast, so the southern sky is the most promising direction. Head south of the metropolitan area and the suburbs thin out toward Rockingham, Mandurah and the Peel coast, where the glow from the city fades behind you. Point Peron near Rockingham looks south over water, which is the type of horizon you want.

Winter, roughly May to August, brings the longest nights but also the wet weather from fronts that cross the Southern Ocean. The dry and clear spells between them are the good windows, and the equinox months around March and September tend to be more active. In the hills east of the city, the Perth Observatory at Bickley has a long record of sky watching and sits above much of the coastal haze, though the glow of the city lies to the west. If you want a very dark site, the drive to the south coast takes you much farther.