It's not often that we statesiders get a chance to see the aurora. But we got the chance last night:

A powerful eruption from the sun is expected to supercharge the northern lights on Thursday evening, making colorful sky shows visible potentially as far south as Alabama and Northern California.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center said Thursday that plasma and other materials from the sun reached Earth at 11:17 a.m. ET, triggering what the agency called a "severe" geomagnetic storm.

The sun didn't disappoint, folks:

The show was even faintly visible in megacities like Chicago:

And Boston:

Some folks got more than they bargained for when they went looking:

Of course, as always, if you're looking for something purple to take your breath away, there's only one place to go:

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