According to the Canadian based Northern Lights Centre, Aurora Borealis -- the Northern Lights -- is caused by "collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere." The resulting effect is a miraculous multi-colored light show that attracts thousands of visitors year in and year out. Wordsmiths may be keen to point out that Aurora is the name of the Roman Goddess of Dawn.

Normally, the Northern Lights are only visible in the northernmost regions of Europe, Canada, Greenland and Alaska, but on Thursday the entire country of Canada laid witness to the spectacle after an especially large solar flare burst forth from the sun. Late Tuesday, a cluster of particles broke away from that arching flare and entered the earth's atmosphere. Researchers at the University of Alaska expect that the Northern Lights will reach large swaths of the United States.

Dr. William Paterson, a fields and particles expert at NASA's Department of Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, told the LA Times that such an event takes place a few time per decade. Dr. Paterson also mentioned that in 2004 a particularly strong solar storm caused the Aurora to be visible to Virginia residents. This time around residents of Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa and Washington State should consider themselves lucky.

But if you want to catch a glimpse of the action you better act quick. The Northern Lights' presence in the continental 48 will die down in several days. You also need to make sure you're at a proper location. Low elevations and smoggy, city air don't wouldn't make the experience memorable, let alone visible, even if you lived in one of the select states.

How are these colors created? Chemicals such as oxygen mix together to create the various colors. Those of you who do watch should expect to see a lot of green in the sky, since that is the most common creation. Reds and blues occur much less frequently. How unpatriotic is that?

Will you be watching the wondrous Aurora Borealis light show tonight? Share your reactions with others in the comments section below.