Amazing pictures of the southern lights that blessed Australia on St. Patrick's day

The aurora australis, also known as southern lights, that magical, cosmic, hallucinogenic display of fluorescent colour in the night sky, delivered an awesome display across Australia and New Zealand last night. They were captured as far north as Kiama, just a 100 km south of Sydney.

Normally, you would need to head further south in Tasmania on the rare occasions it occurs. Everyone Down Under has their fingers crossed it will continue tonight.

This latest light show above the South Pole is the result of an explosion on the sun, specifically this last Sunday, which fired a shower of magnetised atomic particles towards earth. They started hitting our atmosphere, around 100km above the planet, last night, producing one of the best displays of the phenomenon in years.

Red and green comes from oxygen, while nitrogen gives the more purple hues.

From scientists to amateur astronomers and night owls, there were some spectacular images captured and shared on social media. Here are some of them loveliest.

NASA captured nature's celebration of St Patrick's Day from space.

Rudi put together this exquisite time lapse, taken in Kiama, just 100km south of Sydney