Northern lights reach Central Coast this weekend

CENTRAL COAST REGION, Calif. – The phenomenon known as the "northern lights" reached parts of Central California this weekend thanks to a solar storm unlike any other seen in decades.

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are patterns in the sky that reflect various colors due to solar wind from the Earth's magnetosphere, typically seen in areas with high latitudes.

This weekend was quite different as this unprecedented solar storm allowed places such as Maine, California and New Hampshire.

Viewers of our News Channel are encouraged to send in photos like the one above from Thomas Rezjek from Foxen Canyon near Zaca Lake.

Below is a shot sent in from Dylan Honea-Baumann featuring him and his mother, Erica Baumann, on Cuesta Ridge at the Botanical Forest Area.

"This rare experience in our own neck of the woods is a true gift from Mother Nature for Mother's Day," said Honea-Baumann about the celestial phenomenon this past weekend.