Nature put on a vibrant light show early Wednesday morning with a colorful display of Northern Lights visible from Mount Washington.

The observatory's webcam captured the greens, reds, oranges, and yellows dancing in the distance, rarely visible as far south as New England. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the lights in Vermont and Maine, according to the observatory.

The show was visible between 1 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.

It's the second northern lights show visible in the past seven months from Mount Washington. The early morning hours of the Fourth of July also included a colorful display.

What Are Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are created by interactions between the sun and Earth's outer atmosphere, according to the National Weather Service.

"The Sun emits electrically-charged particles called ions, which correspondingly move away from the Sun in a stream of plasma (ionized gas) known as the solar wind. As the plasma comes in contact with the Earth's magnetic field, the ions will be agitated into moving around the Earth," the agency wrote on its website.

"Some of the ions become trapped and will consequently interact with the Earth's ionosphere (an average of 60-80 miles above the surface), causing the ions to glow. This is the same principal as how a neon sign lights up. As electrons pass through the neon tubing, they glow, thus producing the light in a neon sign," the NWS wrote.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH

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