Northern lights to be visible over parts of Canada again, after Tuesday's incredible show

Solar storms are expected to bring colourful northern lights across much of Canada and northern U.S. states for a second night in a row.

Forecasts from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict the show will be visible across most of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Labrador and the northern parts of Ontario and Quebec.

Shawn Dahl, a service coordinator with the Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado, said the dazzling display is expected to go on for much of the night and peak in intensity between 7 and 10 p.m. ET.

He recommends those heading out to see the display to stay up to date with their local forecasts.

Over the past few days, the sun has experienced several powerful solar flares. They were then followed by coronal mass ejections (CME), explosions of fast-moving particles that travel along the solar wind.

A pair of Earth-directed CMEs reached Earth on Tuesday night.

The lights, also known as the aurora borealis, were seen as far south as New Mexico and Texas.

However, the Space Weather Prediction Center (SPWC) is forecasting that the geomagnetic storm could continue Wednesday night and possibly into Thursday, though perhaps not as strong.

Canadian astrophysicist Dr. Jesse Rogerson explained phenomenon happens when large clouds of protons and electrons gusted from the sun get caught in the Earth's magnetic field and smash into the atmosphere.

He said these clouds are a result of explosions on the surface of the sun, or solar flares. When they reach our atmosphere, they deposit their energy. The result is the shimmering, moving light display we see made up of various colours.

Rogerson said the best way to see the ambient colours is to head somewhere with a clear view of the sky, preferably as far away from major cities as possible to reduce light pollution.

The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, making the light displays more common and widespread.

Colourful northern lights have decorated night skies in unexpected places and space weather experts say more auroras are still to come.

Northern and southern lights are commonly visible near the poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's atmosphere.