A severe solar storm has given millions of Americans the chance to see a brilliant display of the Aurora Borealis across the night sky. And while the famed Northern Lights usually stay in the high latitudes, closer to the North Pole, the magnitude of this latest solar disturbance has brought the lights way south over New York state.

What Are the Northern Lights? 

The Aurora (Northern Lights) are caused by giant solar winds that carry ionized particles that end up slamming into the Earth's atmosphere near the poles. That is basically what causes the greenish ghostly lights in the sky, though they're not often seen in latitudes this far south.

See Also: Meteor Shower Producing "Luminous Dust Trains" Returns to the Hudson Valley

But while not an everyday occurrence, the Northern lights have been witnessed as far south as the Hudson Valley and the Catskills before. Sometimes, these "space weather" predictions can lead to quite a showing in the night skies above us. And sometimes not. 

It's kind of like predicting the weather here on Earth.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center says the Northern Lights could once again be visible Monday night across 28 to 30 states in the U.S.

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Sunday night's showing brought a vibrant display of the Aurora as far south as Texas.

Weather Forecast for the Hudson Valley 

The Weather Channel says that skies over the Hudson Valley should remain partly cloudy through Monday night. Skies Sunday night were considerably cloudy across the area, which unfortunately hampered viewing for many.

KEEP READING: Get answers to 51 of the most frequently asked weather questions...

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