PHOTOS | NE Ohio’s sky was ‘epic’ with two rare events at the exact same moment

(WJW) – If there was ever a night to look up at the sky over Northeast Ohio — Sunday night may have been it!

Skywatchers not only witnessed the stunning glow of an aurora, or “ northern lights ,” which is an exceedingly rare weather phenomenon for this part of the world. But, they also caught the peak of the highly anticipated Perseid meteor shower .

Local photographer Gabe Leidy shared some of his pictures with FOX 8 calling it a “wonderfully epic evening.”

“Meteor during Aurora Borealis over Lake Erie, Ohio. Never thought I’d type those words,” he wrote in an email.

Take a look at the slideshow below :

Another local photographer, Steve Dressler with In-Motion Media, said he went out early in the morning to capture the meteor shower but was “surprised” with the northern lights.

Check out his series of photographs, below:

The Perseid meteor is still expected to be visible Monday evening, although the peak burst of shooting stars has passed. You can read more about the meteor shower from NASA, here .

You can also find next opportunities to witness the northern lights over NE Ohio by following the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.