Northern Lights: Best Viewing in a Decade for Michigan

In Best northern lights viewing in Michigan on mLive, Kim Schneider writes that:

The Aurora Borealis is entering a new cycle of higher activity, offering the best viewing in 10 years in Michigan, said astronomer Dick Cookman, a retired professor of astronomy, geology and environmental science at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. Cookman posts monthly night sky updates at enerdynet.com, the website of his Suttons Bay science and nature store, Enerdyne.

The strongest solar flare in four years erupted a couple of weeks ago, Cookman said. If not for the cloud cover that obscured the drama, it would have led to light displays visible as far south as Upper Iowa, South-Central Wisconsin and mid-Michigan. The best part, he noted, is that the 7- to 11-year cycle is just beginning, offering great northern lights viewing possibilities likely to peak in 2012 or 2013.

Read on for viewing tips and some great links. You can see more of the aurora borealis on Michigan in Pictures including what makes the colors of the northern lights, predicting the northern lights and unlocking the mystery of the northern lights. If you do see the aurora borealis, be sure to post it to the Northern Lights Log on Absolute Michigan.

Aaron took these near Clare in November of 2004 and asks if you see the Big Dipper. Check out the Northern Lights gallery on his website or his aurora borealis slideshow.