Aurora australis Ceduna tonight

The Nullarbor Plain is one of the largest dark sky areas in the southern hemisphere. The flat limestone plateau has no trees, no towns, and minimal traffic west of Ceduna along the Eyre Highway. Pulling off the road at any point between the SA-WA border and Ceduna gives a completely flat horizon in all directions with exceptional sky darkness. Bortle Class 1-2 conditions. The southern horizon is clear and low - look south from the highway verge or the coastal cliffs above the Great Australian Bight. The nearest towns are hundreds of kilometres apart. Check fuel before leaving Ceduna as the next station west is Penong or Nundroo.

The Head of Bight is a cliff-top area on the Great Australian Bight, famous for southern right whale watching in winter. The cliffs rise 80 m above the Southern Ocean and face directly south with no land obstructions. At night the sky is dark to the horizon in all directions. Bortle Class 1-2 conditions. An entry fee applies for the cliff-top boardwalk. The car park closes at dusk but the surrounding area outside the managed site gives equivalent positions. Aurora australis at Kp 5-6 appearing above the cliff-top horizon here would be a clear display with no competing light sources.

Yalata is an Aboriginal community on the Nullarbor with a roadhouse and basic facilities. The surrounding land is flat and dark in all directions. The Nullarbor Cliffs south of the Eyre Highway give direct Southern Ocean exposure. Access to cliff-top positions requires permission or staying on highway verge land. The darkness level here is among the best achievable in South Australia - Bortle Class 1-2 across the entire plain. Combined with the southerly latitude and clear horizon, a Kp 5-6 aurora australis event from this position would produce a prominent southern display on a clear winter night.