8 hours ago

Solar storm brings spectacular Northern Lights to sky-watchers as far south as Texas

A severe geomagnetic storm brought spectacular light displays to many parts of the United States on Thursday night, with skies as far south as San Antonio bathed in rich hues of magenta and green.

The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights as they are commonly known, are often more visible in Earth's polar regions, but due to heightened solar activity these dancing displays could be seen with the naked eye in numerous southern states.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the storm was ranked 4 out of 5 in severity, allowing for more widespread illuminations across night skies, particularly across Europe.

Northern Lights Texas (National Weather Service Lubbock)

However in Lubbock, Texas, the National Weather Service shared this image of stunning purple and pink skies over a quiet highway, writing "WOW! The Aurora Borealis is putting on quite the show across West Texas tonight." Further north, auroras were spotted over Queens, N.Y., in an unusually colorful light display for such a densely populated area.

Northern Lights in Queens (Daniel P. Derella / AP)

The timing of the strong solar activity brought the spectacle to many other regions of the world, with photographers sharing images from England to China, and even Australia, where the phenomenon known as Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, was captured in Fish Creek, near Melbourne.

Southern Lights in Australia (Paul Crock / AFP via Getty Images)

Auroras appeared to rain down over pumpjacks in Alberta, Canada last night.

Northern Lights in Canada (Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press via AP)

Skies burst with red and green behind a windmill in Buckinghamshire, England.

Northern Lights Are Seen In The South Of England (Jim Dyson / Getty Images)

Lights showered a spectacular array of colors over the Kissing Trees in Kinghorn, Scotland early on Friday.

Northern Lights light up the skies across the UK (Jane Barlow / PA via Getty Images)

A haze of silhouettes as photographers gather to capture the green skies over Shenandoah National Park in Rileyville, Va.

The event is expected to produce auroras potentially as far south as northern California or Alabama. (Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)

Police officers in New Milford, Connecticut shared this image of a vibrant sky bursting with pink and magenta tones outside their station last night.

New Milford Connecticut Northern Lights (New Milford Police Department)

The Northern Lights, weakened though still visible, were spotted behind an observation tower in New Braunfels, outside of San Antonio. Visible solar activity is significantly less common in more southern regions of the U.S.