Northern lights dazzle in the night sky across B.C.

The northern lights illuminated the night sky across Canada on Thursday with a dazzling display of greens and pinks.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration'sSpace Weather Prediction Center(SWPC) predicteda major geomagnetic storm would reach Earth Thursday and Friday, triggered by solar activity on the sun.

The storm, a disturbance of the planet's magnetic field,producedmoving lights in the sky across the country.

While northern lights area phenomenon normally reserved for northern skies, they could be seen as far south as the Vancouver and Victoria areas on Thursday night.

During the storm,solar particles are scattered byexplosions of energy on the sun's surface called coronal mass ejections. When those particles interact with elements in the Earth's atmosphere, they cause distinct colours in the sky.

The SWPC said it expects the storm to continue on Friday, which may continue to produce the aurora borealis across Canada's skies.