Auroras, also known as northern lights were visible in portions of Michigan, New York, South Dakota, Maine and Minnesota as well other portions of the world near the poles. This spectacular light show comes from the result of a geomagnetic storm. The storm began Tuesday when a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) collided with Earth’s magnetic field.

CME’s are a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields that are released from the sun into space. This particular CME came from a sunspot known as AR1302 which is more than 93,000 miles across. To put that in perspective, the Earth’s circumference is just shy of 25,000 miles.

There are currently lower levels of geomagnetic activity than during the overnight, but the northern lights may still be visible over the next few nights. Near midnight is the best time to look for this beautiful phenomenon.

If you catch a glimpse of the spectacular lights, be sure to email us a picture at weather@nbc25.net or upload them to the NBC25 Facebook Page!