A geomagnetic storm generated by the sun caused colorful streaks of light in the sky known as the Northern Lights to be visible as far south as southern New Jersey Tuesday night.

Forecasters had issued a severe space weather alert Tuesday after the sun released one of its most powerful eruptions of the current cycle, sending a massive cloud of plasma hurtling toward Earth.

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center announced a G4 or greater geomagnetic storm watch following a solar flare that peaked Tuesday morning, according to a report by SpaceWeatherLive.com .

The blast from sunspot region 4274 ranks as the sixth strongest flare recorded during the current solar cycle, the website said.

Several South Jersey residents snapped photos of the Northern Lights from their towns, and were

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