Northern lights awe spectators in Canada, northern U.S.

Sept. 30 -- The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, stretched far enough south that a large swatch of the northern United States was able to catch the glimmering lights, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.

A geomagnetic storm alert went into effect on Saturday night as the lights lit up the sky. The solar storm was triggered by extremely fast solar wind, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist David Samuhel in his blog.

The breathtaking northern lights don't always show up when geomagnetic storms are predicted; however, many people took to social media to share the incredible sight.

"Unfortunately, predicting auroras are very difficult. So, auroras will occur with little or no warning," Samuhel said in his blog.

Those who were able to get a good view of the aurora were away from city lights and in a dark location.