Cascades of red and green light blanketed the skies over the Twin Cities metro Nov. 11 in one of the most vivid displays of the northern lights in recent memory.

The colorful display was visible from Hampden Park in St. Anthony Park, with ribbons of red and green clearly visible overhead, despite light pollution from the city.

The visibility of the northern lights was particularly intense, with social media posts from as far north as Alaska and as far south as Florida reporting sightings.

The northern lights are caused by bursts of plasma energy ejected from the sun called coronal mass ejections. The ejections come into contact with Earth’s magnetic field, creating the vibrant aurorae light show.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization issued a geomagnetic storm watch of G4, the second-highest level.

Text and photos from Seth Richardson. Seth is a freelance journalist who lives in St. Anthony Park. He also serves on the Park Bugle board of directors.