In a rare natural phenomena, star-gazers in locations as “normal” as Michigan were able to witness auroras, otherwise known as the northern lights, on Monday evening, October 24. Caused by a sun storm this past Saturday, these green and red lights took two days to reach earth.
These were the most vibrant I’ve ever seen,” Canadian skywatcher Colin Chatfield of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan told SPACE.com. “I was also able to see red with the naked eye, which I’ve never seen before either. Simply put, they were amazing.”
The photos in the gallery below illustrate what just might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you want to see auroras regularly, you’ll have to head to the Northern Lights zone–latitudes 65 to 72 degrees–solar particles collide with atmospheric gases to create colorful curtains (near the South Pole, Aurora Australis are the Southern Lights).
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Check out this article on the ten best places to catch the Northern Lights.