COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – During a rare geomagnetic storm, numerous central Ohioans got to view a beautiful celestial show: the northern lights.

The colorful auroras are courtesy of a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun. When CMEs reach Earth’s magnetic field, they spark a big interaction known as a geomagnetic storm.

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According to NASA, CMEs create currents in Earth’s magnetic fields that send particles to the North and South Poles. When those particles interact with oxygen and nitrogen, they can create auroras.

Viewers sent the following photos of the celestial event to NBC4:

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