This Beautiful Michigan Town Named One Of The Best For Northern Lights
The northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, are stunning, magical pillars and waves of colorful light. They dance in the sky to watchful eyes. To most people it is both beauty and a mystery as to why this natural phenomena actually happens. You can see them in many parts of the world. And we are lucky enough right here in Michigan to see them more often than a lot of other states.
In Michigan, it all depends on the strength of the storm as to where it will be visible. Most chances happen in the Upper Peninsula, unless its strong enough to reach the rest of Michigan. So for those of us here in Michigan, seeing the northern lights is often a life-long chase with many tries and many losses for a reason. There is typically only a 3 day-out prediction for when they will hit so planning a trip in advance is more difficult than say booking a trip to Norway because its happens so often that you will likely see them whenever you book your trip. But none of that matters if the skies are not clear! And be sure to bring a camera as they typically aren’t visible to the naked eye. As you can see, there are so many factors that go into the chase.
My Northern Light Experience
Photo Credit: Shannon Renee Northern Lights captured under a cloud-filled sky above the Mackinaw Bridge
But there’s always hope for us aurora chasers that we’ll see at least one success of seeing them in person in your lifetime because it’s an experience you will never forget! I personally have been on the chase several times and was only lucky once to see them peeking behind clouds. husband and I were by the Mackinaw Bridge and get a rare chance to see them under cloudy skis when there was a break in the clouds. This is the picture you see above.
The Best Place in Michigan to See the Lights
We saw them in Mackinaw City, but according to The Discoverer Blog the best place in Michigan, and one of the best in the entire U.S. is, drumroll please, Copper Harbor which is located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Look to where ( see map below)
map of michigan Photo Credit: Rainer Lesniewski
Why Copper Harbor?
So why Copper Harbor? It is on the Keweenaw Peninsula. And you can see on the map (above), it is at the northern most point of Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. It gives a great view of Lake Superior which is awesome because you want to be looking towards the northern hemisphere for the northern lights. Plus, they now have the most recent dark sky park in Michigan to view the lights and other things in astronomy. This is awesome because dark sky parks limit the amount of artificial light pollution around the area so the sky is clear to see and doesn’t drowned out the light of the stars etc.
If you’d like to learn more about the science behind it all, check out any current predictions, best spots to look when they are visible, camera settings, and so much more I highly recommend this Facebook page that I follow Michigan Aurora Chasers. You can also check out more info on The Keweenaw Peninsula or Cooper Harbor here.
Happy Hunting!
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