The Northern Lights are considered one of the most beautiful sights one could ever witness on Earth. With multiple colors streaking through the night sky, the phenomenon often looks more like something out of a sci-fi movie than something you could see standing on your front porch.
Well, the Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, is very real and some very lucky people were treated to a rare sight on Friday, Sept. 12. While the Northern Lights are typically the strongest at the north and south poles, Americans got to see the auroras in their own skies Friday night.
The Northern Lights are caused by the sun's charged particles hitting the Earth and interacting with its atmosphere. This produces colorful waves of greens, pinks and yellows in the sky.
This weekend's special display was due to the solar storms that hit Earth last week. The sun emitted a particularly strong solar flare on Friday, an X-class, which is at the higher end of the spectrum. The strength of the solar flares has caused the view of the Northern Lights to expand.
As with any major visual display these days, people took to social media to document the breathtaking phenomenon. Obviously, Instagram was particularly full of epic photos of the Northern Lights.
Take a look at some of the coolest photos from Friday night's Northern Lights display, and proceed to be jealous that you weren't able to see it for yourself.
