A solar storm hit Earth on Thursday and brought beautiful displays of the northern lights to dark skies farther south than normal. The timing of the storm provided a great show for Europe, but those in North America could also see the dazzling lights if the storm persists into nighttime.

For the second time in as many weeks, a “severe” geomagnetic storm produced a spectacular northern lights display for millions of stargazers in the United States and around the world.

An eruption of particles from the sun collided with Earth on Thursday morning. The Space Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reported that the solar particles,