Photos: Aurora Borealis appears across the Northeast

Stargazers across the Northeast were treated to a dazzling display of light Thursday evening, as a severe geomagnetic storm created a rare sighting of the aurora borealis.

Driving the news: According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun on Oct. 8, sending charged particles hurtling towards Earth. The following day New York City's Emergency Management Department issued a warning about potential "impacts to critical infrastructure, including GPS, power grids, and communications," but said the public did not need to take action.

• With clear skies in the forecast across the region for Friday, the aurora could again be visible in skies tonight.