Latest news with #LakeEllesmere
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Permanent test flight space will make Canterbury global aerospace innovation leader
Minister for Space Judith Collins. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Part of Canterbury's airspace is now permanently allocated for test flights in a move the Minister for Space says will position the region as a global leader in aerospace innovation . Judith Collins said the test flight allocation would give Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre on Lake Ellesmere and other aviation companies the freedom to safely trial next-generation technologies. "The Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) permanent special use airspace designation for Tāwhaki anchors Canterbury's growing reputation as a national hub for space and advanced aviation innovation." From 7 August, six 'Restricted and Danger Areas' will be permanently designated but only activated when needed, to minimise disruptions to other fliers. Collins said the space sector in particular had grown rapidly. "Canterbury is an ideal launchpad for the space and advanced aviation sectors due to its combination of location, test-bed facilities, research and innovation capability, manufacturing capability and workforce," Collins said. "The space sector has grown 53 percent in the five years to 2023-24 to contribute more than $2.47 billion to the economy. "The advanced aviation sector contributed $480 million in the same period, with some overlaps with the space sector." Restricted Areas will allow Tāwhaki to manage the entry, exit and operations of aircraft in the area while Danger Areas let airspace users know there is a potential danger to flying in the area. Tāwhaki executive director John Holt said the allocation was a win for the sector and "regulatory infrastructure" was just as vital as the physical infrastructure. "This Special Use Airspace is a significant piece of infrastructure that will unlock huge opportunities for New Zealand. It's forward-looking, pragmatic and, most importantly, keeps safety absolutely paramount," Holt said. Collins said the government saw space as having huge potential. "The upcoming New Zealand Aerospace Summit in Christchurch in October will draw an international audience, providing an opportunity to showcase Canterbury's unique attributes to advanced aviation innovators." Public consultation on the proposed changes to the Civil Aviation Rules close on July 27. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Forbes
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Forbes
In Photos: June's ‘Great Aurora' Stuns Skywatchers Around The World
The great aurora of May 31/June 1, 2025, here looking straight up in a 360° panorama, with the ... More horizon all around and the zenith at centre. This records the entire sky during the peak of the substorm at about 1:30 am with the curtains lighting up with a range of colours blending together. A rare and powerful geomagnetic storm dazzled skywatchers across the globe last weekend, with the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) and Southern Lights (aurora australis) visible far from polar regions, with images of multi-colored curtains, coronas and rays across social media. People look at Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the horizon over ... More Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP) (Photo by SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images) The spectacular event was triggered by a massive coronal mass ejection — a cloud of charged particles hurled into space from the sun — lit up skies in Canada, the U.S., Europe, New Zealand and beyond for over 60 hours between Saturday, May 31 to Tuesday, June 3, 2025. A man takes visuals of Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the ... More horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP) (Photo by SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images) The spectacular event was triggered by a massive coronal mass ejection — a cloud of charged particles hurled into space from the sun — lit up skies in Canada, the U.S., Europe, New Zealand and beyond for over 60 hours between Saturday, May 31 to Tuesday, June 3, 2025. The great aurora of May 31/June 1, 2025, in a ~240° panorama from northeast at left, to ... More northwest at right, taken as a substorm was hitting, and the sky was lighting up with bright and colourful curtains. Here the curtains had moved mostly to the south, at centre here, after an initial appearance at the start of the night as a diffuse band across the north. However, moments after this as the substorm peaked, the sky filled with aurora, captured in an all-sky circular panorama. As Earth approaches the solstice on June 21, typical locations in the Northern Hemisphere where the aurora oval hangs over — such as polar latitudes near 70 degrees North — currently have no hours of darkness. That makes the U.S. currently one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. The great aurora of May 31/June 1, 2025, here with a burst of red appearing for a brief time amid ... More the curtains to the east as a substorm hit boosting the brightness and colours. On this night the Kp index peaked at Kp8, unusually high. However, to the eye the aurora still remained dimmer and colourless, except for moments like this when some reds did show up to the eye. Technical: A single 5-second exposure with the Viltrox 16mm lens at f/1.8 on the Nikon Z6III at ISO 400. A long-lasting G4 geomagnetic storm, it was one of the most vivid displays of aurora in Solar Cycle 25, which is currently in its solar maximum period. The sun has an 11-14-year cycle during which its magnetic activity waxes and wanes. It wasn't, however, as powerful as the G5 geomagnetic storm last weekend that saw aurora seen from as far south as California. A man takes visuals of Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the ... More horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP) (Photo by SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images) The long display was initially triggered by a powerful M8.2-class solar flare on May 31, which launched a fast-moving 'halo CME' — an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection. It began interacting with Earth's magnetosphere early on June 1, triggering a G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm, with the Kp index peaking at 8 — high enough to expand the auroral oval well into mid- and low-latitude regions. The great aurora of May 31/June 1, 2025, here with particularly colourful curtains to the east as a ... More substorm hit boosting the brightness and colours. On this night the Kp index peaked at Kp8, unusually high. However, to the eye the aurora still remained dimmer and colourless, except for moments like this when some reds did show up to the eye. This is a wide-angle lens framing from the horizon to near the zenith at top. Technical: A single 5-second exposure with the Viltrox 16mm lens at f/1.8 on the Nikon Z6III at ISO 800. In the U.S., aurora was seen as far south as southern Nebraska, Missouri, and even parts of New Mexico. States including Oregon, Wyoming, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts also witnessed views of the aurora. According to auroras were captured on the Gulf Coast at latitude 30 degrees North — a very rare event that reflects the storm's exceptional intensity. This photo taken on June 1, 2025 shows the aurora seen at the outskirts of Canberra, Australia. ... More (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua via Getty Images) Outside North America, both aurora borealis and aurora australis were seen in abundance. Canada experienced sky-filling displays, while colorful Southern Lights were seen from southern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. The geomagnetic storm began to wane on June 2, but minor (G1) to strong (G3) storms persisted into June 3, keeping high-latitude skywatchers on alert. The Aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, is seen at Cleveland Dam Park on June ... More 03, 2025 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by) The Northern Lights are a result of the solar wind, which consists of charged particles emitted by the sun that interact with Earth's magnetic field. While much of this solar wind is deflected by the magnetic field, some charged particles travel along the magnetic field lines toward the polar regions where they enter. These particles collide with and excite oxygen and nitrogen atoms, causing them to release energy as light. This photo taken on June 1, 2025 shows a view of aurora and a dashing meteor in Jixian County of ... More Shuangyashan City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo by Han Yang/Xinhua via Getty Images) Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Aurora australis: southern lights dazzle across New Zealand and Australia's east coast
People photograph aurora australis, also known as the southern lights, on the horizon over Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch on 1 June. The displays are produced by a geomagnetic storm, and a product of the sun launching charged particles towards Earth. When those particles interact with Earth's magnetic field they create stunning displays at the poles known as auroras. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The Milky Way with the aurora australis, also known as the southern lights, over Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images A man takes photographs of aurora australis on the horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images The aurora australis over Lake Ellesmere, New Zealand. Photograph: Grant Birley People photograph the aurora australis on the horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch on 1 June. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images The aurora australis seen from Gerringong, in NSW. Photograph: David Metcalf/DJM Images People observe the aurora australis, also known as the southern lights, over Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images The aurora australis glows on the horizon over the waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch in New Zealand. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images Paul Kerr was able to capture this stunning vista of the aurora australis from Canberra. Photograph: Paul Kerr/Hold Still Photography
