Aurora Borealis: Scenes of dancing northern lights in eastern Ont.

A powerful geomagnetic storm lit up the night sky Friday and early Saturday morning, resulting in an incredible light show across eastern Ontario.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared Friday night’s rare event a severe G5 storm, or “extreme” geomagnetic storm, a level of severity last recorded in 2003.

The aurora borealis, also known as the aurora borealis, is caused by coronal mass injections (CMEs) from the sun crashing into Earth’s upper atmosphere. The Earth’s magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles, creating the cinematic phenomenon.

Social media users across eastern Ontario shared photos of the event as skies began to clear in the early hours of Saturday morning. The light show was visible in the early hours of Saturday in Ottawa’s outer suburbs, including Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven.

The aurora borealis usually do not reach latitudes as far south as eastern and southern Ontario, with the light show on Friday night and Saturday morning being a rare spectacle.

Overcast skies in Ottawa late in the evening made viewing skills difficult for those who wanted to see the event. Viewing capabilities are best in rural areas outside of cities, as light pollution brightens the sky.

The aurora borealis also colored the skies of Canada and several countries around the world between Friday and Saturday night, in territories farther south than usual, such as California, due to the geomagnetic storm.

Those hoping to catch the Northern Lights may have a chance on Saturday night. NOAA reported Saturday that the storm will continue through at least Sunday.

Click through the photo gallery below to see photos of the rare event from CTV News viewers!

Do you have a picture of the night sky? Send them to CTV News Ottawa.

With files from CTV News Toronto