PHOTOS: Northern Lights put on dazzling display across Chicago area

Timelapse: Northern Lights captured in downtown Chicago

A historic geomagnetic storm brought the Northern Lights over Chicago on Saturday night. We made a timelapse video of our footage that captured the lights downtown.

CHICAGO - The magnificent Northern Lights were captured in photos across the Chicago area on Friday night.

Check out the photo gallery below to see some of the pictures sent in by FOX 32's viewers.

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Northern Lights over Chicago | Jake Hamilton

For the first time in nearly 20 years, a Severe (G4) Geomagmetic Storm Watch was issued on Thursday, after a series of solar flares were observed.

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, the Northern Lights could be visible as far south as northern Alabama overnight and early Saturday morning.

Auroras occur when a solar storm emits extra charged particles into space, and those charged particles interact with Earth's atmosphere to create a natural colorful light display in the sky.

Clouds may clear in time to see the Northern Lights tonight

Emily Wahls has your Chicago weather update!

Where in Chicago can you view the Northern Lights?

To get a good view, you'll want to get away from city lights and other sources of light pollution. The Northern Lights hit their peak between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Saturday. However, more geomagnetic activity is heading Earth's way over the weekend from additional solar flares, possibly lasting into early next week.

On Friday night, the lights could faintly be seen over the city of Chicago. The lights were much more visible in the suburbs.