You’ll immediately notice a difference in ambient light! The Headlands is an International Dark Sky Park, but it mostly faces the wrong direction for a clear view of the Aurora. If you desire a darker location, head over to Wilderness State Park.

The aurora appears under an oval shaped region between the north and south latitudes of about 60 and 75 degrees.Īt these polar latitudes, the aurora can be observed more than half of the nights of a given year.Wilderness State Park is one of the best places to see the northern lights in Michigan These diffuse patches often blink on and off repeatedly for hours, then they disappear as the sun rises in the east.

Then in the early morning the auroral forms can take on a more cloud-like appearance.

This is the peak of what is called an auroral sub storm. At some point, the arcs may expand to fill the sky, moving very quickly and bright.

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.

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. The electrons are energized through acceleration processes in the downwind tail (night side) of the magnetosphere and at lower altitudes along auroral field lines.

They say, 'the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) are the result of electrons colliding with Earth’s upper atmosphere. Since I'm not a scientist, let's refer to the Space Weather Prediction Center for more information. ~William Shakespeare First - What are the Northern Nights (Aurora Borealis)?Īurora Borealis (“Northern Lights”) are brilliantly colorful night-time lights that are located above theĮarth’s magnetic poles in the northern and southern hemispheres.

'The earth has music for those who listen'

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