PHOTOS: Northern lights ignite across Canada, northwestern US after solar storm

By Katy Galimberti, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

January 1,2016; 9:08PM,EST

 

 

Northern lights glowed across the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday night, and skywatchers were able to take in stunning views.
A solar flare erupted from the sun on Dec. 28 and sparked a coronal mass ejection (CME), creating the setup for northern lights to ignite.
The aurora borealis is caused when charged particles from the sun hit the Earth's atmosphere, igniting a geomagnetic storm and producing a rainbow of colors.
Auroras can take different shapes, often draping like a curtain, but at times the lights can form a swirling pattern.
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Northern lights were visible in Seattle early on Thursday morning. (Twitter Photo/@NWSSeattle)
Aurora visible Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, at Alix, Alberta, Canada. (Photo/Twitter/Darlene Tanner @dartanner)
Aurora was seen Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, at Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. (Photo/Twitter/Christina McCauley @cmp2016)
Aurora visible Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, near Clyde, Alberta, Canada. (Photo/Twitter via @SongDespins)