ALPENA — The northern lights made another appearance across Northeast Michigan (and much of the northern hemisphere) on Thursday night, lighting up the night sky with waves of color.

The lights were clearly visible across Alpena overnight Thursday into Friday.

Residents across the region have posted photos of the phenomenon to social media.

The phenomenon is caused by storms on the sun that send bursts of energy to Earth. As that energy interacts with gasses in the atmosphere, it causes colors and light.