News

11 breathtaking photos of the Northern Lights over Chicago this past weekend

The rare celestial occurrence surprised Chicagoans.

Anna Rahmanan
Written by
Anna Rahmanan
Senior National News Editor
Northern Lights over Chicago
Photograph: Tom Harris Photography/Instagram
Advertising

To the surprise of many, the Northern Lights—the natural spectacle that turns the sky all types of blue, green, yellow and orange at night—were fully visible from Chicago this past weekend.

According to experts, the Aurora borealis, the event's technical name, appeared on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Illinois as a result  of a geomagnetic storm that made them visible across other portions of the country as well, including Alabama and California.

If, by any chance, you missed the celestial display or perhaps didn't get to see it clearly enough, check out the photos below for a pretty awesome representation of what happened.

Fair warning, though: the images might take your breath away and convince you to hop on the next flight out to Iceland, Finland or Norway, where the Northern Lights are most commonly seen. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tyson (@t_heis25)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jake Hamilton (@jakestakes)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hilary Klein (@britishbelle)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Carrie (@carriason22)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Avi (@avithekkc)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Farha Mukri (@fm2709)

You may also like
You may also like
Advertising