Skywatchers were treated to a celestial delight on Wednesday evening, with a severe solar storm making it possible to view the southern lights across large parts of Australia and New Zealand.

A severe solar storm had paved the way for the spectacular display of aurora australis, particularly in Victoria, and as far north as the Blue Mountains where there were reports of the lights over the Three Sisters near Katoomba.

Displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, were visible in the northern hemisphere overnight on Tuesday.

"Given the strength of this storm, there's a chance people farther north than typically expected in the southern hemisphere might be able to see it," astronomer Dr Laura Driessen, from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, said on Wednesday, adding it could be visible to people in Sydney and Perth.

"Tasmania and New Zealand should get a decent view," she said.

Wednesday night was "the best chance for people to go outside and try catch a glimpse of the aurora," Dr Sara Webb, an astrophysicist at Swinburne University, said. "It looks like it's going to be very high up the southern coast of Australia, so visible from parts of Victoria and New South Wales."

(More here)