The Australian Antarctic Magazine ceased production in June 2020 and has been replaced by an in-depth, interactive feature series Explore Antarctica. You can also keep up to date with the latest news from the Australian Antarctic Program with our online newsletter Antarctic Insider.

The Australian Antarctic Magazine [ISSN 2652-3027 – online version] seeks to inform the Australian and international Antarctic community about the activities of the Australian Antarctic program. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily represent the position of the Australian Government.

Between 2001 and 2020 the magazine was published twice a year, in June and December, in hard copy and online. All text and images published in the magazine are copyright of the Commonwealth of Australia, unless otherwise stated. Editorial enquiries, including requests to reproduce material, should be addressed to the Editor at magazine@aad.gov.au.

Australian Antarctic Magazine — Issue 19: 2010

About the cover

Weather observer Nick Roden took this photograph of the aurora australis, intersected by the LIDAR laser beam at Davis station, on a cold July night this year. The aurora australis results from the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth’s magnetic field. ‘Excited’ oxygen atoms hit by charged particles from the sun emit river-like ribbons of neon-green light as they return to their lowest energy state. Nick says it took only 30 seconds to take the photograph but planning for it and waiting for the right conditions took many months. Another of Nick’s aurora photos features in this issue’s Freeze Frame section on page 37.

on