Northern lights shine over Fergus, Ont.

A photographer captured photos of the northern lights captured near Fergus, Ont. (Kevin Gilbert)

An amateur photographer was able to catch an uncommon sight in the sky over the weekend – the northern lights.

Kevin Gilbert shared photos to his Twitter account, showing just how clear the northern lights were in Fergus, Ont on Sunday night.

Gilbert said he pulled over off Highway 6 near Irvine Creek around 10 p..m. Sunday night to capture the photos.

He said the phenomenon was visible by looking north and northwest into the sky.

The photos show a bright green line stretching across the sky, as different hues of purple and pink adorn the sky, seemingly stretching outwards across the sky.

Projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed the chances of seeing the northern lights on Sunday in parts of Ontario were around 50 per cent on Sunday evening.

Projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show the likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights on Sunday. (NOAA/Screenshot)

The projection shows that the probability of an aurora appearing in the sky increased into the early morning hours. By 2 a.m. nearly all but the southern ends of the province were in the zone of probability to see the lightshow.

According to the Canadian Space Agency, Auroras occur when charged particles collide with gases in Earth's upper atmosphere.

Those collisions produce tiny flashes that fill the sky with colourful light. As billions of flashes occur in sequence, the auroras appear to move or "dance" in the sky.

The phenomenon had the potential to be seen across much of Canada last week.