The northern lights, or Aurora Borealis, lit up area skies Sunday night, much to the delight of many local shutterbugs.
People sent us some of their pictures which are posted in the gallery above.
"I had never seen the photos so neon. Fresh out of my phone with a three second exposure with no other enhancement. It was pretty cool," said Angel Portice, who enjoyed the show put on by mother nature.
Aurora Borealis are beautiful dancing ribbons of light that captivate people from all over. But for all its beauty, this spectacular light show is a rather violent event.
The northern lights are created when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph, but our planet's magnetic field protects us from the onslaught.
As Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles – there are southern lights, too – and the dramatic process transforms into a cinematic atmospheric phenomenon that dazzles and fascinates scientists and sky-watchers alike.
There's no set schedule for northern lights. Often, auroras happen with just 30-minutes warning; others speculate multiple-day warnings and peg periods around the spring and fall equinoxes for increases in aurora. Kp-index readings (the global geomagnetic activity index) of six plus (6+) indicate the potential to see the northern lights.
Of course, skies must be clear of clouds for the best viewing, along with being far away from "light pollution."
For information on the Northern Light's forecast, click here.
