Aurora borealis UP

Michigan

General information about Michigan and the Northern Lights

Northern Michigan in particular is very well suited for observing the northern lights. On the one hand, Michigan is very favorably located in terms of latitude, as the auroral oval slopes particularly far south here. Secondly, the Upper Peninsula is blessed with hundreds of kilometers of shoreline on Lake Superior. This offers a very dark night sky due to the very low light pollution. If you look north across Lake Superior, you can see all the way to the horizon and have an unobstructed 180-degree view of the night sky. This is particularly important as auroras can often be seen very low on the horizon. A dark night sky with low light pollution is essential for searching for the Northern Lights, as the light from the auroras matches the brightness of starlight.

Altitude above sea level: Munising
594 ft

Northern lights near Au Train

Description: We saw the first northern lights on October 6 in a parking lot directly on the southern shore of Lake Superior. Time: 9pm to 11pm.

Our rating: As we had never seen the Northern Lights before, this was a very special experience that we will certainly never forget in our lives. It is simply amazing and actually indescribable what takes place in the night sky. Anyway, the Northern Lights were one of our top highlights of our vacation.

Rated 5 out of 5