Marylanders braved the cold Tuesday night to get a peek at the northern lights, and they could get another chance to view them this evening.

The aurora borealis was visible Tuesday across much of the U.S., including as far south as California and Alabama, thanks to several bursts of energy from the sun called coronal mass ejections. Sky-gazers across Maryland snapped photos of the night sky with colorful hues of magenta, teal and purple.

On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a forecast predicting strong geomagnetic storm conditions will continue into the evening, potentially bringing another round of northern lights to parts of Maryland.

The sun is at its maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, which makes the northern lights more widespread. Last year, the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades slammed Earth, producing light displays across the Northern Hemisphere. Maryland saw those, too.

The sun’s active spurt is expected to last at least through the end of this year, though the peak of solar activity won’t be known until months after the fact, according to NASA and NOAA.

Once particles from the sun’s coronal mass ejections reach Earth’s orbit, they can disturb our magnetic field. Interactions between the solar particles with the upper atmosphere cause the release of photons, which are particles of light.

These fast-moving particles can temporarily disrupt the power grid, as well as satellites and air traffic control radios.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.