article_snippet: (CNN)A severe solar storm created a stunning display of light in the night sky over parts of the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand early Wednesday morning, spotted by those lucky enough to be awake in the wee hours.
article_snippet: Called aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere
article_snippet: , the lights were the product of large geomagnetic blasts from the sun that arrived Tuesday about 10 a.m. ET (1 a.m. Wednesday in Sydney).
article_snippet: Both the aurora borealis and the aurora australis were sparked by a particularly strong solar storm that sent charged particles toward the Earth, said CNN meteorologist Todd Borek.
article_snippet: When charged particles bombard the Earth's magnetic field in the upper atmosphere, the collision often creates brilliant colors," CNN meteorologist Todd Borek said.
article_snippet: Most of the time, auroras appear green -- when charged particles collide with oxygen in the atmosphere -- but there were reports this past aurora australis also appeared to have a reddish tint, which suggested the collision with high-altitude oxygen was also seen on the Earth.
article_snippet: Share your photos of the aurora with iReport .
article_snippet: The most visible impact as been this stunning light display.
highlights_snippet: A particularly strong solar storm created a stunning light display .
  