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Northern lights delight several Minnesota, western Wisconsin communities

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MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans were treated to a magnificent showcase of the northern lights over the past couple days. 

Many shared their photos with WCCO. Check them out below: 

Sunday into Monday 

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Near Grand Rapids, Minnesota Melissa Greiner

geomagnetic storm watch was issued over the weekend by the Space Weather Prediction Center, with communities across the northern U.S. — from Oregon to Pennsylvania, and as far south as Iowa — able to enjoy captivating auroras.  

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Kjostad Lake in far northeastern Minnesota Mark Aune

The prediction center classified this weekend's storm as "moderate," causing only a slight risk for power fluctuations and spacecraft operations.  

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Cushing, Wisconsin Tammi Braund

Coming off the fall equinox, this is one of the best times of year to see auroras in the Northern Hemisphere.  

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Andover, Minnesota Lane Johnson

According to NASA, auroras are produced by the collision of electrically charged particles with the Earth's magnetic field, resulting in shimmering waves of blue, green, red and white light.  

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Kjostad Lake in far northeastern Minnesota Mark Aune

While some Twin Cities residents caught a glimpse despite light pollution, the very best spot to marvel at this magical phenomenon in Minnesota is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness — the largest of the 13 designated International Dark Sky Sanctuaries in the world.

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Near Big Sandy Lake in McGregor, Minnesota Peggy Magner

You can submit your best photos and videos to WCCO.

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Near Big Sandy Lake in McGregor, Minnesota Peggy Magner
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Deer River, Minnesota Brinn Nitti
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Duluth, Minnesota Ryan Carlson

Monday into Tuesday

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Granite Falls, Minnesota Debra Beckler
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Braham, Minnesota Tish Carlson
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