Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are a spectacular natural phenomenon that are hard to predict, often rare to see and nearly impossible to forget. Their occurrence is tied to the activity of the sun, and the solar wind caused by the eruption of spots on the sun’s surface. They occur in an oval that surrounds the geomagnetic north pole, which is south of the geographic north pole. This allows for sky watchers in the northern U.S. to see this magnificent night sky display—including the Mackinaw area. The Northern Lights can appear as soon as 30-45 minutes after sunset but are more likely to be seen during the darkest time of the night, typically from midnight to 2am. However, the Northern Lights are not out every night.