FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — A geomagnetic storm Tuesday night caused the northern lights to illuminate the skies across both Indiana and much of North America.

The event was triggered by a coronal mass ejection from the sun earlier in the week.

“We got many reports across central Indiana regarding the appearance of the northern lights,” said Jason Puma, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.

Puma explained in further detail how the process with the northern lights works.

“When the sun ejects a wave of magnetic energy and it reaches the earth’s atmosphere, it interacts with the Earth’s magnetic fields and produce the northern lights,” said Puma.

Puma says the strength of the solar storm will indicate how strong the lights may be. He says these lights do happen from time-to-time, but it’s hard to pinpoint how often they will occur.

The Space Weather Prediction Center warned that there could be potential disruptions to power grids, communications, and GPS signals on Wednesday.