A spectacular display of northern lights lit up the skies across much of the United States overnight Tuesday, reaching as far south as Florida. The rare event was marked by waves of red, green, and purple hues visible in states including Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

Experts say the show was caused by a burst of energy from the sun, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), interacting with Earth’s magnetic field.

The Space Weather Prediction Center had issued a G4 “severe" geomagnetic storm watch for Wednesday, the second-highest level on a five-step scale. The same storm produced the vivid lights seen Tuesday night, CNN reported.

Did you catch the light show between the breaks in the clouds this evening? #NorthernLights Space Weather Center: https://t.co/M5cIvJxUr1 pic.tw

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