Besides their visually stunning appearance, the Northern Lights’ appeal also comes from their unpredictability. Even with the most advanced technology, it can be difficult for meteorologists to predict exactly when and where the colorful displays will appear in the sky until shortly before the show begins. On top of everything else, there’s the weather and the fact that a few too many clouds can turn what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle into hours of freezing cold for no reason.

While you can't do anything about the weather, your phone may be able to help if you're in a place where the northern lights are supposed to be visible but you can't see anything at all (or perhaps barely make out anything in the distance), according to an expert with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).

To clarify, you can’t just walk outside on a clear night, anywhere in the world, and take pictures of the Northern Lights with your phone. This only works if there is a potential aurora show forecast in your area, or slightly north of it.

According to Brent Gordon, chief of SWPC's space weather services division, advances in smartphone technology have improved their ability to capture images of the northern lights. "With some of the recent events, we've seen some amazing aurora displays as far away as South Texas and even some in Central America — things that the human eye can't see," he said during a press conference on May 10.