Natural beauty! Aurora borealis light up the skies across dozens of US states
Millions of people across the country peaked outside their homes to see the Northern Lights just days after a geomagnetic storm.
The dazzling green and purple lights and auroras were seen late Sunday night by several people in the northern US, stretching from Colorado to Ohio.
About 30 states from west to east had the opportunity to witness the once-in-a-lifetime sky show after a solar flare erupted Friday, according to NOAA Space Weather.
Several onlookers rushed to social media to share their thoughts in awe.
The Northern Lights could be seen in the US from late Sunday to Monday morning. Pictured: The Northern Lights from Big Creek State Park in Iowa
Viewers from Nevada to New York documented the once-in-a-lifetime sighting. In the photo: the sighting from southern Colorado
Viewers in Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota, Indiana, South Dakota, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Montana and New York confirmed the rare sighting that lasted up to 30 minutes.
A man displayed a purple aurora as seen from behind homes in Reno, Nevada.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be able to see the violet glow of the aurora borealis all the way down here in Reno,” he wrote on Twitter.
A shooting star seen during the Northern Lights. That was magical,” wrote one person from Iowa.
A Minnesota woman ran outside her home in her pajamas to take a quick look.
“I just stood in my pajamas in my driveway and saw my first Northern Lights,” she wrote. ‘They were weak, but they were there! I was truly shocked when I saw them. I didn’t expect to be so moved.’
“Glad I didn’t go to bed early,” another agreed.
An Iowa grandpa officially crossed his dream of seeing the Northern Lights off his bucket list and brought along his two young grandsons.
I’ve waited my whole life to see #northern lights. #aurora I only had to drive eight miles near Jester Park in Polk County to see an amazing spectacle,” the Iowa man wrote.
“I brought two of my grandsons and they actually thought it was pretty cool. Score one for grandpa!’
About 30 states from west to east had the opportunity to witness the once-in-a-lifetime air show after a solar flare erupted Friday, according to NOAA Space Weather
Viewers in Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota, Indiana, South Dakota, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Montana and New York confirmed the rare sighting that lasted up to 30 minutes. Pictured: Northern Lights in Wyoming
Several people rushed to take pictures of the lights and auroras from their phones. Pictured: Indiana lights
The lights are most visible when the forecast is clear with little to no pollution. Pictured: the lights in Montana
An Iowa man snapped a photo of the view about an eight-minute drive from his home
Several people have taken seeing the Northern Lights off their bucket list
The lights could be clearly seen from Montana and were described as ‘one of the coolest things’
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration advised that the best time to see the lights would be before 2 a.m. local time. But they may be seen until sunrise on Monday.
They are most visible when the forecast is clear with little to no pollution.
On Friday, a geomagnetic storm hitting Earth was at a level four out of five. The storm was described as a “billion tons of plasma ejected from the sun,” according to NOAA.
The storm was caused by a coronal mass ejection, which “may produce some of the largest geomagnetic storms and thus some of the brightest and most active auroras extending farthest toward the equator,” the NOAA explained.