U.S.

Northern lights spotted in skies across the U.S. See the photos.

By Sarah Lynch Baldwin

Updated on: November 12, 2025 / 9:57 AM EST / CBS News

Northern lights seen across the U.S.

Northern lights were seen in skies across the U.S. overnight due to energy coming from severe solar storms.

The aurora borealis — skies lighting up in stunning shades of blue, pink and green — was spotted in states spanning from Minnesota and Massachusetts to Florida, Colorado and Texas.

The sun has spurted out multiple bursts of energy over the past few days called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a G4 — or severe — geomagnetic storm watch in response to the CMEs, which are huge bubbles of coronal plasma that the sun occasionally ejects, NASA says. The highest geomagnetic storm level is G5, which is considered extreme.

Geomagnetic storms can cause disruptions to critical communication infrastructure, and NOAA had said they could make the northern lights visible in even the southern U.S. starting on Tuesday night. More northern lights could be seen again on Wednesday night in some areas.

See the photos

The aurora borealis lights up the night sky over Monroe, Wisconsin, on Nov. 11, 2025, during one of the strongest solar storms in decades. The geomagnetic event pushes the northern lights deep into the continental United States, with vibrant pink, red, and green hues illuminating rural farmsteads and open fields across the Midwest. Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The aurora borealis lights up the night sky over Monroe, Wisconsin, on Nov. 11, 2025, during one of the strongest solar storms in decades. Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The northern lights observed in the sky over Morris County, captured using long-exposure photography in New Jersey, U.S., on Nov. 12, 2025. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images

The aurora borealis glows above along Maple Grove Road in rural Monroe County as a strong geomagnetic storm from recent solar activity pushes the Northern Lights unusually far south on Nov. 12, 2025, in Bloomington, Indiana. Jeremy Hogan/Getty Images

People watch the northern lights at China Camp State Park in San Rafael, California, on Nov. 11, 2025. Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are seen above a vineyard in Geyserville, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2025. Alvin A.H. Jornada/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The northern lights observed in the sky over Anchorage, captured using long-exposure photography in Alaska, U.S. on Oct. 18, 2025. Hasan Akba/Anadolu via Getty Images

A photographer photographs the northern lights as fog rolls into San Francisco Bay at China Camp State Park in San Rafael, Calif., Nov. 11, 2025. Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Northern Lights

Sarah Lynch Baldwin

Sarah Lynch Baldwin is a deputy managing editor of CBSNews.com. She helps lead national and breaking news coverage and shapes editorial workflows.