(NewsNation) — A historic solar storm made the Aurora Borealis visible for swathes of the U.S. that are usually too far south to view them. The photos shared on social media show not just the beauty of nature but how far technology has come.
The lights were visible to the naked eye in many places, even those who had a hazier view had a secret weapon in their pockets.
Night mode settings on smartphones allowed people to capture stunning views of the lights, at times even more than they could see themselves.
While the photos spread on social media, some skeptics who wonder if some images were AI-generated. Photo editing can boost the quality of Aurora Borealis photos, but as AI technology becomes more quality, it can cast doubt on the authenticity of images.
In the meantime, people as far south as North Carolina got a rare chance to view a natural phenomenon normally out of reach and use technology to make seeing it just a little bit easier.