Southern Nights: The Science & Beauty of Aurora Australis

Dr Andrew Phipps + Luke Tscharke + Paul Hoelen + Benjamin Alldridge

Opening Event :
Friday 8 August 2025, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Includes an introduction by the artists, followed by a short dialogue between the artistic and scientific perspectives of aurora photography. This conversation will explore how visual art can reveal scientific phenomena in ways that create emotional connection and deeper understanding.

Opening Hours:
Sunday – Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm
Saturdays 9:00am – 5:00pm

A contemplative visual collaboration between art and science showcasing Tasmania’s unique connection to the southern lights, where award-winning photography reveals the awe-inspiring beauty of this natural phenomenon during the 2025 solar maximum.

Featuring works by Dr Andrew Phipps, Luke Tscharke, Paul Hoelen, and Benjamin Alldridge

A powerful photographic journey revealing Tasmania’s unique connection to the southern lights. During the 2025 solar maximum, this exhibition showcases award-winning photography that captures one of nature’s most elusive phenomena, the aurora australis, as it illuminates Tasmania’s night skies. The collection celebrates our island’s position as Australia’s best aurora viewing location, presenting the southern lights as both an artistic subject with remarkable visual impact and a scientific phenomenon demonstrating interactions between solar activity and Earth’s atmosphere.

Each photograph is paired with accessible scientific insights into the processes creating these auroral forms, offering understanding of space weather, solar activity and atmospheric interactions. Interactive elements include a live aurora dashboard displaying real-time solar conditions, time-lapse presentations revealing aurora movement patterns, and educational material highlighting Tasmania’s pristine dark skies and ideal viewing conditions.

Presented as part of National Science Week 2025 with support from Inspiring Tasmania, Dark Sky Tasmania, and Beaker Street, this exhibition brings together artistic vision and scientific understanding during Solar Cycle 25’s peak. Southern Nights explores how looking south across Tasmania’s dramatic landscapes reveals these magnificent nocturnal displays that have captivated sky-watchers for generations.