( 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 . Called aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere , 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 ) . 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 . `` When these particles bombard the Earth 's magnetic field in the upper atmosphere , the collision often creates brilliant colors , '' Borek said . `` Most of the time , auroras appear green -- when these 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 Earth . '' Share your photos of the aurora with iReport . The stronger the storm , the farther south it can be seen , said Borek . And this geomagnetic storm was rather powerful , reaching as a high as a G4 on a scale from 1 to 5 Tuesday night , according to NOAA 's Space Weather Prediction Center . The storm was expected to last 24 to 36 hours , and NOAA 's latest reports say it 's down to a G1 . Though the storm could affect GPS technology and power grids , NOAA said Tuesday that it had no reports of disruptions . The most visible impact as been this stunning light display . If the auroras are seen again tonight , Borek said , they wo n't be as pronounced and most likely wo n't reach as far south as Tuesday night . People in northern Michigan , northern Minnesota and Maine may be able to spot them , although he warned that clouds from Minnesota to Montana may impede visibility Wednesday night .
A particularly strong solar storm created a stunning light display . The sun is currently in the middle of its 11-year cycle and will reach peak activity again next year. Some in northern U.S. may see lights again tonight .