Social media users as far south as Moscow this weekend reported seeing the Northern Lights — usually restricted to the country's northern Arctic region — and shared their pictures online for others to see.
Also known as the Aurora Borealis, the hues' increased visibility over the past weekend was the result of two solar flares, which allowed residents of numerous countries — including Great Britain, Northern Ireland and northern Canada — to witness the natural phenomenon.
Skywatchers in Russia's northern regions of Karelia, Krasnoyarsk and Murmansk saw green lights dancing in the night sky.
City-dwellers in St. Petersburg were also expected to be in for a treat, though light pollution may have limited their visibility.
"This is taking place right now outside my window. Incredible. Only #TheNorthernLights. But wow, in Moscow!!" one Instagram user wrote beneath a photograph of a bright green light, reportedly snapped from her window in the capital.
Excitement over the lights' appearance even spread to Russia's southern regions, with one user in the city of Orenburg claiming to have captured evidence of the unusual phenomenon. It remains to be seen whether the picture was Photoshopped, the real deal, or something altogether more sinister…
Северное сияние над #Оренбург Не уверен, что это оно. Может свет от фонарей так лег #orenburg http://t.co/YhgMHQOAVX pic.twitter.com/zuKxUKDpm1
— Кульзизоп (@coolzizop) 13 сентября 2014
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