Melbourne woman left stunned by what happened on Air New Zealand flight

A passenger captured breathtaking images from a flight, highlighting the spectacular Aurora Australis light display as the plane flew past.

Australian woman Rachel Kennedy was on an Air New Zealand flight from Melbourne to Christchurch, New Zealand, on Tuesday night when she looked out the window and saw the stunning phenomenon.

'I had changed the seat on my flight to be on the right side of the plane just in case and had followed the Aurora forecasts for days,' Ms Kennedy said, who had travelled from Melbourne to Christchurch for a work conference.

'My first few photos captured the green arc but not much more,' Kennedy said.

However, the captain then decided to turn off the lights, and she was able to capture the stunning images.

As soon as she touched down, she shared the images on the Facebook page 'Aurora Australis' - where thousands commented on the incredible photos.

'Should have been on a plane last night,' one person said. 'Note to self, book more flights.'

'What an amazing sight and experience to have seen,' a second added

'Omg this is mesmerising,' a third declared.

'I think you just won the Aurora photography prize for the year. Congratulations,' another added.

The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, is a natural light display similar to the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).

It's caused by the interaction between solar wind (charged ps from the sun) and Earth's magnetic field, which excites gases in the atmosphere, leading to the emission of colourful lights.

'Some of the sun's energy and small ps can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth's atmosphere,' explained the Australian Space Agency.

'There, the ps interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays.

'In some instances, the combination of the ps and oxygen gives off green and red light. In others, the interaction with nitrogen results in glows of blue and purple.'

The Aurora Australis can be seen year-round, but it's most commonly visible around the equinoxes in March and September when the longer, darker nights improve the chances of spotting the lights.

For Aussies keen to see the Aurora Australis, the Bureau of Meteorology's Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre has a dedicated forecast, guide and tips to help.

'You ideally need a dark night with little cloud cover,' the BOM explained. 'You don't want a bright moon or any light pollution, so a good location is a dark beach or a hill where you have an unobstructed view to the south.'