Throughout time, observers have looked to the heavens for answers to life’s mysteries. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and in other locations in the northern latitudes, when folks look up at the sky, it is with the hopes of seeing Aurora Borealis.
If you ask a scientist for a definition, he or she will tell you: The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) are the result of electrons colliding with the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. The electrons are energized through acceleration processes in the downwind tail (night side) of the magnetosphere and at lower altitudes along auroral field lines, as explained on the Space Weather Prediction Center’s webpage on auroras.
The accelerated electrons follow the magnetic field of Earth down to the Polar Regions where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules in Earth’s upper atmosphere. In these collisions, the electrons transfer their energy to the atmosphere thus exciting the atoms and molecules to higher energy states. When they relax back down to lower energy states, they release their energy in the form of light. This is similar to how a neon light works.
The aurora typically forms 80 to 500 km above Earth’s surface.
But those who have experienced the Northern Lights without having a scientific reason, have a different explanation as to why this natural phenomenon continues to amaze.
“Maybe because of their elusiveness, particularly at our latitude where we are on the southern fringe of being able to see the aurora a few times a year,” said Shawn Malone, a visual artist at Lake Superior Photo Gallery/Studio, and a renowned photographer for the Northern Lights in Michigan. “This is quite different compared to somewhere like Alaska or Norway at 70° latitude that is positioned directly under the auroral oval; people there see them weekly.
“There is a large segment of the population that just doesn't have dark night skies due to light pollution and even more that have never seen the aurora,” Malone said. “I get feedback in my gallery here in Marquette, Michigan inferring a lot of people in the local area have never seen the aurora.”
There is a logical reason for not experiencing nature’s light show.
“Seeing the aurora does require sometimes losing sleep; and in the middle of winter on a -10 night it can be hard to get up and go out,” Malone said.
But the same reasons that Malone uses to explain the excuses people make for not venturing out is also what makes the Upper Peninsula an ideal location.
The Northern Lights over Lake Superior; Marquette, Michigan.
According to Michigan's Dark Sky webpage, “The northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula are the best places to view the lights. Michigan is committed to establishing areas that are devoid of the artificial light commonly found around cities, which partially obscures the night sky." There are six dark sky preserves located in state parks, and one of these, the Headlands International Dark Sky Park is one of the first internationally designated dark sky parks in the world.
This reason alone makes Michigan a place for those wanting to check “Seeing the Northern Lights” off their bucket lists.
Theresa Neal, a park interpreter at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, agrees.
“Our visitors have always shown a steady interest in viewing the northern lights,” Neal said. “The Upper Peninsula is basically one big dark-sky park, and visitors only have to stay up late enough to observe constellations, shooting stars, satellites and moon phases. Northern lights are a bit more challenging to view, considering the timing needs to coincide with a clear night sky.”
The lure of the light unpredictability makes the experience all the more impactful.
“Viewing the aurora requires clear skies and good visibility,” said Rob Steenburgh, Space Scientist at the Space Weather Forecast Office. “Anything that negatively affects those requirements (e.g. clouds, fog, light pollution, air pollution) will negatively impact viewing.
“Winter brings longer nights, increasing the chances of seeing the aurora. Additionally, moon illumination can affect the visibility of aurora,” he explained. “A full or gibbous moon degrades the lighting and make it difficult or impossible to see aurora. “
The Northern Light and the Southern Lights are centered around the earth’s magnetic field. During major geomagnetic storms these ovals expand away from the poles such that aurora can be seen over most of the United States. The Space Weather Forecast Office has technology in place that helps predict the possibility of aurora viewing, but it was not developed to help the average citizens find their way to the lights.
“We have been using Ovation (aurora prediction) since about 2010,” Steenburgh said. “Aurora is really the only visible space weather phenomena at Earth, so people are eager to see it. There are even companies that plan aurora viewing excursions. Additionally, aurora can impact high frequency radio communications and global navigation satellite systems (e.g. GPS), so there's reason to specify it for the customers we support.
And for those who may have experienced the Northern Lights, it is a phenomenon that is never quite the same. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the time of the day, as well as other meteorological and climate factors can change the way the lights are displayed across the sky.
As explained by NOAA, the auroral forms are made of many tall rays that look much like a curtain made of folds of cloth. During the evening, these rays can form arcs that stretch from horizon to horizon. Late in the evening, near midnight, the arcs often begin to twist and sway, just as if a wind were blowing on the curtains of light. At some point, the arcs may expand to fill the whole sky, moving rapidly and becoming very bright. This is the peak of what is called an auroral sub storm, as explained on the website.
Then in the early morning the auroral forms can take on a more cloud-like appearance. These diffuse patches often blink on and off repeatedly for hours, then they disappear as the sun rises in the east.
The best place to observe the aurora is under an oval shaped region between the north and south latitudes of about 60 and 75 degrees. At these polar latitudes, the aurora can be observed more than half of the nights of a given year. But, as with all things related to earth’s atmosphere, the more severe the auroral sub storm, the farther south the lights can be seen.
“Aurorae can (and have been) seen very far equatorward (e.g. Cuba), but this requires a humongous geomagnetic storm,” Steenburgh said. “The equatorward extent of the aurora is proportional the magnitude of the geomagnetic storms. Bigger storm, more equatorward viewing.
“Most of the time, particularly during solar minimum, the geomagnetic storms we encounter are minor to moderate. This limits the extent of the aurora to the higher latitudes,” he continued. “So the odds of seeing the aurora increase as you move towards the poles. Strong to severe storms are not as common, but when they occur, they can push the aurora into the mid latitudes.”
Instead of waiting until that mega geometric storm happens and pushed aurora viewing way to the south, a trip to Michigan is a good solution, said Malone. His visual artwork of the light has been picked for a new “Pure Michigan” commercial for the state tourism industry.
“Observing the northern lights is a pretty awesome phenomenon, if you’re lucky enough to see them,” Neal said. “In Michigan, we often only see a greenish glow in the north, sometimes shooting like a beam into the sky. Occasionally we see “dancing” lights, but that is not to common.”
Given that the majority of Michigan’s state parks are outside city limits and located in the UP, Michigan is one of the most popular places to see nature’s light show. Here conditions are just what they need to be for the best chance of viewing the auroras.
“This makes our state parks perfect locations to observe the night sky,” Neal said. “If you are camping, you can take a short walk away from the campground in the middle of the night and catch a pretty awesome star show on a clear night.”
The peak season for viewing the Northern Lights is August to April, with the shorter daylight months of November through March regarded as the best opportunity.
“It is certainly correct that you can see the aurora in Michigan,” Malone said. “Some helpful things to remember are to increase your odds by learning to understand space weather data, getting out of city lights, get to a wide open horizon with a dark night sky, and look north!”