Aurora Australis seen from Tristan
Report and photos from Tristan Enviroearth Station Manager Odile Cesari
View from outside Odile's house
View from the Potato Patches later in the evening
Odile's Report
I took these two pictures of the Aurora Australis on 20th January 2026.
Before coming to Tristan, I lived in Iceland and in Canada, where my friends and I used to go aurora-hunting. Being my nostalgic self, I never deleted my aurora app, and on that evening in January, it sent me some alerts: "KP index is becoming high. Keep an eye on the sky."
Being quite far from the South Pole and living against the North flank of a huge volcano, I thought my chances were low, but that perhaps with a lot of luck, the red/purple glow of distant Southern Lights could be seen around the mountain. Well, the pictures speak for themselves! Although I can't say it was this bright and colourful in real life, I could not really see much of a warm glow with my bare eyes, the phone picked it up, and I edited the pictures slightly to make it stand out more.
That first picture was taken close to my guesthouse's gate (I am staying in Gaetano's Lodge!). As soon as I spotted a little bit of red on there, I got excited. I knew I had to get a clearer view south, and to get away from lights, so I immediately drove out to the Patches. But sadly, in the ten minutes it took to get there, the aurora activity had already started to decrease. The red glow faded away in a few minutes, after which my photos were back to a gorgeous but regular black and white night sky. I gave it half an hour to see if the lights would return, but the clouds took over the sky, as if to draw the curtains on a show that had ended, but that I was still happy to have witnessed.
About the January 2026 Solar Storm
These images were taken during a significant solar event in January 2026. It was caused by an X-class solar flare on Jan 18th, that sent a colossal, fast-moving CME (coronal mass ejection) directly toward Earth. This triggered a severe G4 geomagnetic storm, allowing auroras to be visible at an unusual distance from the poles. For context, G4 is the second-highest level a geomagnetic storm can reach. Under these conditions, solar radiation can cause temporary radio blackouts, disrupt or damage orbiting spacecraft and impact some ground-based infrastructure. In preparation for the storm, power grid operators reduced loads and activated protective systems, satellites were put into safe mode, airlines rerouted away from polar flight paths. The flare ionized the atmosphere over the Americas, particularly South America, causing some shortwave radio blackouts, and disturbed some GPS systems, but aside from that, didn't cause any damage.
A simultaneous S4 solar radiation storm occurred, a significantly rarer and less understood phenomenon. NOAA's GOES-19 satellite tracked an intense surge of high energy protons accelerating from the sun at speeds far above the typical solar wind. Those particles reached Earth in under 24 hours; most solar weather events take three to four days to cover the same distance. It ranked as the third most intense radiation storm in the 50 years of the GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) programme's measurements, and it was the strongest event observed since October 2003.
The Earth's atmosphere absorbs most of the solar radiation, which is why people on the ground face no direct risk. But astronauts in low Earth orbit don't have that protection, so the ISS crew had to take shelter in heavily shielded modules, as a precaution against elevated radiation exposure.
A Rare Observation
It was a combination of factors that allowed this sighting: the Sun still being close to its activity cycle's peak, the sky being mostly clear of clouds, the absence of a bright moon that would have washed out other light sources in the sky, particularly faint ones such as those Auroras. And of course, a fair amount of luck.
It is a good reminder that even in unlikely places, it's worth keeping an eye on the sky.
For those interested, the app Odile used is called My Aurora Forecast & Alerts (on iPhone), but there are several other apps out there offering the same features.
Background to the Southern Lights
The Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, is a natural light display in the Southern Hemisphere caused by solar particles colliding with Earth's magnetic field. It is the exact same phenomenon as the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), but it is less photographed, as it occurs mostly over oceans and Antarctica, with relatively few nearby landmasses, and far fewer populated areas.
Primarily visible from Antarctica, Tasmania, New Zealand, and southern South America, Aurora Australis appears as colourful, dancing lights, usually from March to September. Peak activity occurs during solar maximums, one of which we just passed in 2025. The solar cycle length is impossible to predict, but it seems to average at 11 years, so we could expect the next solar maximum to be reached around 2036.
Snow lying exceptionally low on Tristan cliffs
Snowfall visible above village may be the lowest recorded.
Photographs from Chief Islander Ian Lavarello and Administrator Philip Kendall
Wide view of the snow lying on the higher cliffs above the Tristan settlement on 2nd September 2025
Islanders woke on Tuesday 2nd September 2025 to the sight of snow lying remarkably low on the cliffs above the village.
Chief Islander Ian Lavarello captured the view of the snowfall from aboard the fishing vessel MFV Edinburgh off the island.
Closer view of the snow lying on the upper cliffs above the village either side of Hottentot Gulch.
Another view from the village showing the snow lying above the 1961 lava flow.
The distinctive red-roofed St Joseph's Catholic Church can be seen near left.
A view from the Potato Patches shows snow lying at about 300m or 1000 ft above sea level.
Tristan da Cunha has a cool temperate oceanic climate. Records indicate that the mean annual temperature at the Tristan settlement, is 15.1 C. Frosts at sea level are unknown as mean sea temperatures of 18 C in February-March and 13 C in August-September, always prevent freezing temperatures in the village. However, snow falls at higher altitude on Tristan and commonly lies above 600m above sea level. The Tristan Peak is often snow-covered for long periods during the southern winter (May-September).
For more about Tristan's climate see: Tristan's Climate
First Update on the February 2024 Flooding
Report and photos from Philip Kendall
Administrator Philip Kendall visited the areas affected by the flooding of Friday 2nd February 2024 again during the weekend, and has sent us this update.
More than ten houses were affected by the flooding, of which about 50% are uninhabitable, at least in the short to medium term. This fortunately is not as bad as in our initial report.
Drying out continues at a flooded island home.
Thankfully the weather has been kind to Tristan over weekend and since. The dry weather and sun is helping the affected families dry their possessions and air their houses.
Digger moving debris in Hottentot Gulch
Above: Debris above the road... and Below: Clearing the road in the region of Knockfolly Gulch
On Saturday the PWD Team were able to clear the road to the patches, so it is at least passable. In the longer term, part of the road may need to be moved further inland to avoid it slipping into the sea.
Shoring up the banks of the Big Watron and clearing it of rubble.
On the eastern side of the Settlement, work is ongoing to shore up the banks of the Big Watron and clear it of rubble.
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| Debris deposited between Dockel Gulch and the Big Watron. | |
This week Philip is trying to work out the financial cost, both to individuals and the island, and looking at preventative measures to stop this from happening again .
Sand at Runaway Beach washed away by the outflow of Wash Gulch. Photo: Nick Schönfield.
New Flash Floods and Landslides on Tristan |
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| Heavy rain and landslides on the 2nd February 2024 caused flooding in many homes and blocked the road to the Patches. 3-Feb-2024 |
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Stamp issue: 60th Anniversary of Tristan's 1961 Volcano, Part 3 |
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| Stamps commemorating the 60th anniversary of the resettlement of Tristan's population after the evacuation caused by the 1961 volcanic eruption. 6-Dec-2023 |
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Tristan da Cunha Annual Gathering 2023 |
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| The gathering took place in Southampton on the 15th April 2023. 7-Jun-2023 |
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Stamp issue: 60th Anniversary of Tristan's 1961 Volcano, Part 2 |
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| Stamps commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Royal Society Expedition 1961/62 to study Tristan's 1961 volcanic eruption. 2-Mar-2022 |
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'Nothing Can Stop Us' Book Launch |
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| New hardback book tells the extraordinary story of Tristan da Cunha and its 1961 volcanic eruption. 16-Dec-2021 |
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Stamp issue: 60th Anniversary of Tristan's 1961 Volcano, Part 1 |
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| Stamps commemorating the 60th anniversary of Tristan da Cunha's 1961 volcanic eruption and the evacuation of the population to England. 27-Oct-2021 |
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- Remembering the 1961 Volcano (18-May-2021) >>
- Heavy Rainstorm, 30th April 2021 (30-Apr-2021) >>
- Partial Solar Eclipse, December 2020 (19-Dec-2020) >>
- Earthquake in Tristan da Cunha Region (2-Sep-2020) >>
- Progress Report on Storm Damage at St Mary's School, March 2020 (19-Mar-2020) >>
- Drone Footage of the Damage Caused by the July 2019 Storm (10-Mar-2020) >>