Northern Lights Put On Show, Thanks To Large Solar Flare

The sky danced with bands of green, yellow and other colors last night, as the aurora borealis, or northern lights, dazzled viewers in the upper Northern Hemisphere. The light show was sparked by a powerful solar flare that erupted from the sun Wednesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center says that while Earth will feel the effects of the large coronal mass ejection through Sunday, it won't bring major communications or electrical problems.

If you weren't far enough in the north — or well-rested enough – to see the show, don't worry: stunning images were posted to Twitter and elsewhere. Here's a selection:

If you're in the northern U.S. or Canada, you can check out NOAA's "Aurora Forecast" to see whether the aurora borealis is likely to be visible.