Tonga volcano ‘afterglow’ creates dazzling sunsets across New Zealand and Australia

Spikes in aerosols in the stratosphere after volcano erupted in January likely causing unusually vibrant skies

Unusually fiery and vibrant sunrises and sunsets across New Zealand and Australia in recent weeks could be due to aerosols that were hurled up into the stratosphere following Tonga's volcanic eruption in January.

New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) has been inundated with messages from people asking what is causing the strange but beautiful phenomenon".