All across Florida and the United States, people looked into the night sky Friday, May 10, and got to see an amazing sight: the northern lights, or aurora borealis.

What is causing the phenomenon? A very rare geomagnetic storm watch was issued late Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center for a barrage of coronal mass ejections from the sun that could last through the weekend, and possibly into early next week.

Photos posted on social media show the northern lights in the night skies around Florida and the United States.

See the beautifully captured event:

Northern lights or aurora borealis seen in Florida

What is the aurora, or northern lights?

The aurora, or northern lights, are colorful curtains that shimmer in the night sky when charged particles from the sun come hurtling at Earth’s atmosphere. When the particles hit atoms in the atmosphere, it causes reactions in the nucleus of the atoms and the surrounding electrons, which produces the light. Earth’s magnetic field directs the particles toward its poles, where the northern and southern lights can be seen.

Read more on the solar storm watch: Why we may be able to see the northern lights from South Florida

Northern lights seen around the United States

Northern lights seen around the world

Did you capture northern lights in Florida?

We would love to share your photos or videos. Please tell us the location where you capture the lights and send to Laura Lordi at llordi@pbpost.com.

Laura Lordi is Digital Editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at llordi@pbpost.com.