Colorful Northern Lights glow again in N.J. night sky

Stargazers in New Jersey who stayed up late Monday night were treated to a dazzling spectacle in the autumn sky — the Northern Lights.

The colorful atmospheric phenomenon, which is commonly seen in the far northern United States but only occasionally in New Jersey, was witnessed during the late-night and early-morning hours by people from Passaic and Sussex counties all the way down to Ocean and Cape May, according to residents who posted photos on Facebook.

Among the skywatchers who caught a glimpse of the colorful flickering lights were people from Barnegat, Bedminster, Budd Lake, Cape May Point, Denville, Hackettstown, Haledon, Hampton, Lake Aeroflex, Manahawkin and Mountain Lakes.

The glowing lights are caused by geomagnetic storms triggered by explosions on the sun, which spark bright colors glowing in the sky — an event technically called the aurora borealis but more commonly known as the Northern Lights.

It’s not yet clear whether the Northern Lights will be visible from New Jersey again on Tuesday night, or if the viewing zone may be limited to areas farther north.

But the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center reported a strong geomagnetic storm early Tuesday morning.

During a strong geomagnetic storm in early August, people in many areas of New Jersey were able to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights while they were looking for the Perseid meteor shower.

The Northern Lights were also visible from parts of the Garden State during an intense solar storm in early May.