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Dazzling Photos Show Northern Lights Shimmering Over U.S. And Canada

A geomagnetic storm was responsible for the beautiful night sky display.

Parts of the northern U.S. and Canada were treated to a rare overnight view of the aurora borealis over the weekend, and fortunately for the rest of us, cameras were ready to capture the stunning sights.

Time-lapse videos and photos of the natural phenomena, also called the northern lights, were posted to social media early Monday, showing bright ribbons of light in the skies above Vermont, Michigan, New Hampshire and parts of Canada.

A geomagnetic storm precipitated by a solar flare on Friday caused the spectacle, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

“Aurora may be visible as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state,” the weather center announced Sunday morning on Twitter.

Unfortunately for many stargazers, the storm’s geomagnetic activity was said to have decreased somewhat by Sunday night. Cloud coverage also diminished chances of seeing the lights.

Nonetheless, a number of lucky shutterbugs were still able to capture the show, including in Mackinaw City, Michigan, where photography company D3 Imagery captured the northern lights shimmering over the Straits of Mackinac (see above video).

Overall, the phenomena yielded a treasure trove of great views.

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