WASHINGTON — The northern lights are leaving colorful displays across several U.S. states on Tuesday night.

Forecasters issued a severe G4 geomagnetic storm watch for Tuesday, Nov. 11 and Wednesday, Nov. 12.

The alert comes after a coronal mass ejection, an eruption of solar material and magnetic fields from the Sun's surface, was set to hit Earth late Tuesday into Wednesday. Coronal mass ejections, known as CMEs, usually generate spectacular displays of aurora borealis in northern U.S. states.

G4-level watches are rare, with only four alerts issued so far this solar cycle, NOAA says.

Here's a look at some of the dazzling displays in the northern half of the U.S.:

Most states bordering Canada have a chance to view the celestial phenomenon. The predicted "view line," or the southernmos

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