The Northern Lights put on another dazzling display in the sky that were seen in the Okanagan and as far south as Arizona.

According to NASA, the Sun emitted a strong solar flare, which peaked at 7:33 p.m. PT on March 28. Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a strong solar flare — as seen in the bright flash at the bottom right — on March 28, 2023. The flare is classified as X1.2. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides info about strength: https://t.co/Ixrmx8RMhj pic.twitter.com/ExpkRpvWTQ

— NASA 360 (@NASA360) March 30, 2023

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event.

According to Nasa's Elizabeth MacDonald, the driving force behind the unusual light show is this severe geomagnetic storm which rated a level 4 on a five-point scale, "it was the biggest storm in many years,” says MacDonald, a space physicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The last time we saw a storm of this magnitude was back in 2017 which caused auroras as far south as Arkansas."

The Northern Lights have been especially active this year, with multiple aurora events dating back to Valentine's Day on February 14, again a few days later and at the end of February. The Northern Lights were also very active a little over a week ago on March 23 and 24 as well.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration space weather prediction center indicates the Northern Lights may be active again tonight.

The NOAA says "auroras appear when charged particles ejected from the sun interact with Earth’s magnetic field." The field envelopes the Earth in a protective bubble, deflecting the slow-moving particles that normally stream off the sun’s surface.

The charged particles then “bounce around like a pinball the excess energy from the collision shoots off in the form of vibrant light. The colour of the light ranges from vivid green to deep magenta, depending on the elements involved and the speed of the initial collision."

Northern Lights are typically more active during the spring and fall equinoxes when the tilt of Earth’s magnetic field couples with the charged particles from the sun.