The Canberra-based science teacher and photographer is an avid chaser of aurora australis weather events and just happened to be in Wagga at the perfect time.

"My daughter lives over in Wagga and it happened to be the first time since lockdown to go and see her," Mr Williams said.

Shortly after arriving in town last Thursday he packed up his gear and travelled roughly 40km out of Wagga, towards Narrandera, stopping when he noticed clear skies and gorgeous pink colours shining through the clouds.

He snapped the photos with a long exposure and tripod, able to capture colours not visible to the human eye.

Mr Williams explained that aurorae appears in the sky after coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, from the surface of the sun.

Thursday's ejection was a special 'cannibal CME' that swept up older and slower CMEs in front of it, producing an even more magnificent light display.

"The readings were off the Richter scale; I had never seen anything like it," he said.

"You just get all those amazing colours on display."

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Mr Williams has been chasing aurora australis' since 2015, using a number of weather trackers and apps to alert him to the special weather events.

He said that Riverina locals can expect more light shows in the coming years, as solar activity ramps up around 2024 and 2025.

"There's gonna be more and more opportunities like this," Mr Williams said.

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