Perth, WA and beyond enjoy stunning southern lights display for the ages

Stargazers in WA’s capital have been treated to a stunning Aurora Australis display, which experts described as even better than last week’s rare show.

The Perth Observatory was buzzing over the spectacular, which is triggered by activity on the sun.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Aurora Australis shines bright over Perth

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“We thought last Tuesday’s auroral display was excellent. Well, the sun showed us last night,” the observatory said, sharing a photo from the walkway of its Lowell Telescope Dome in Bickley.

Spokesman Matt Woods said it was “so strong” because a magnetic filament connected to sunspot AR3229 erupted on Friday, producing a chain reaction.

“The eruption triggered a long-duration M-class (medium intensity) solar flare, which passed us in 10 minutes,” he said.

“But it’s what came next that brought the aurora - a partially earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME). CMEs are blasts of charged plasma from the sun’s outer layers.

“They Travel much slower than flares, taking a few days to reach us, and they can cause beautiful auroras while causing headaches for some radio and satellite operators. This one caused auroras for over 16 hours in the northern and southern skies.”

Social media lit up with photos of the stunning illumination, with snaps from Perth, WA and even New Zealand.

Some even described it as the best display in years.

Photographer Vicki-Louise White said she did not have “this on the 2023 bingo card but here we are” after scoring a stunning picture east of Armadale.

“My first ever Aurora Australis shot,” she shared on Instagram. To say I’m happy, pumped stoked is an understatement.

“This was shot at Mount Dale - and yes, I completely am overwhelmed at the significance of the name - just an hour east of my house.

“My cup is overflowing.”

Scott McDonald said he was “still in shock” at what he witnessed in Lancelin, about 125kms north of Perth.

“It is not very often you get the southern lights this strong and to see it 125km north of Perth Western Australia was just as crazy and will be hard to sleep tonight. What a rush,” he said.

Woods told 7NEWS.com.au that sightings in Perth are quite rare, occurring about once a year. They are more common elsewhere in WA, with Albany providing one of the best views.