Come see the Northern Lights in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Most of us never see how amazingly bright and beautiful the night sky is. Street and parking lot lights, billboards, stadiums, shopping malls and traffic blot out the stars and planets overhead and dim the northern lights dancing on our horizon.
So, one of the hottest tourism trends is to go where you can see a breathtaking view of our universe. Some of the darkest skies in the world are over the Upper Peninsula.
What makes the Upper Peninsula one of the best stargazing and Northern Lights areas?
Most of the Upper Peninsula is wilderness and it is surrounded by vast bodies of water. There are very few towns and most of them are small and emit very little light pollution. The Upper Peninsula is close to the North Pole which provides some of the best star and Northern Lights viewing in the contiguous 48 United States. And in the fall through mid-spring, our days are shorter and nights longer, which means there is more time to gaze up or out to our Great Lakes’ horizons, particularly to Lake Superior’s unimpeded northern views.
The combined result creates the deepest dark sky which makes the stars, planets, nebulae, shooting meteors showers and Northern Lights pop into clear view on cloudless nights all year round. It will take your breath away.
What causes the Northern Lights (aka Aurora Borealis)?
What creates this sky show? The graceful, shimmering swirls of greens, purples, oranges and reds occur when sun particles, riding on the solar wind, collide with Earth’s atmosphere. It’s not an every-night event, so here’s how to plan your visit.
Best time to see the Northern Lights in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
In the U.P. you are more likely to see the Northern Lights between August and April, with the peak months being April, October and November. Choose a clear, crisp, cold night without the threat of lake-effect snow.