Northern Lights likely this week!

Posted on by farlane

Northern Lights

Northern Lights, photo by BeaverTripp

The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that minor to moderate auroral activity is likely through January 20th. Translation? Northern Lights are likely this week!

You can click to register for space weather alerts and also view the current space weather.

Stephen captured this photo in July of 2012 on Moss Lake in the U.P. Check his photo out as big as the sky and in his Northern Lights slideshow.

Much (much) more Aurora Borealis information & photos on Michigan in Pictures!

Viewing the Geminid Meteor Shower

Posted on by farlane

IMG_2549mod - Aurora Borealis

IMG_2549mod – Aurora Borealis, photo by something28

UPDATED FOR 2013! via EarthSky:

The peak night of the 2013 Geminid meteor shower is expected to be from late evening tonight (Friday, December 13) until dawn tomorrow (December 14). The meteors will be flying, but will you see them in the bright light of the waxing gibbous moon? The brighter ones, yes, and the Geminids do tend to be bright. If you want a moonless sky, your best bet on this night is to watch in the narrow window between moonset and dawn on Saturday.

Welcome to the “Spot the Geminid Meteor” edition of Michigan in Pictures! EarthSky’s Meteor Shower Guide for 2012 says that the last meteor shower of 2012 will be the Geminids, peaking late night December 13 until dawn December 14:

The final major meteor shower of every year (unless one surprises us!) is always the December Geminid shower, often producing 50 or more meteors per hour. It is a beloved shower, because, as a general rule, it’s either the August Perseids or the December Geminids that give us the most prolific display of the year. Best of all, the new moon guarantees a dark sky on the peak night of the Geminid shower (mid-evening December 13 until dawn December 14). But the nights on either side of the peak date should be good as well. Unlike many meteor showers, you can start watching the Geminids by 9 or 10 p.m. local time. The peak might be around 2 a.m. local time on these nights, because that’s when the shower’s radiant point is highest in the sky as seen around the world. With no moon to ruin the show, 2012 presents a most favorable year for watching the grand finale of the meteor showers. Best viewing of the Geminids will probably be from about 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. on December 14.

Click through for some meteor viewing tips and here’s hoping for another Aurora Borealis/Geminid combo!

Paul shot this north of Lansing in December 2006 when the Geminid shower was complimented by a fantastic Northern Lights display! Can you see the meteor a little right of center? Click to view on black, see more in his The Night Sky slideshow or view all 80 photos from the evening in his December 14, 2006 gallery.

There’s lots more meteors & northern lights on Michigan in Pictures!

Cheboygan Crib Light with Northern Lights

Posted on by farlane

Cheboygan Crib Light

Cheboygan Crib Light, photo by yooper1949

Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light says that the plan for the Cheboygan Crib Light that was drawn-up by the District Engineer called for a round crib with an octagonal cast iron pierhead beacon centered upon it.

Work began with the construction of a wooden crib onshore in Cheboygan, which was then lowered into the water and towed out to the specified location at the entrance to the dredged river channel. Sunk in place with the addition of crushed rock, an upper level consisting of oak timber framework was then constructed atop the crib, with a basement oil storage room beneath the location in which the tower was to be installed. The deck of this superstructure was then leveled at a height of eleven feet above the water, planked with timber and fitted with a circular oak ring centered over the oil storage room to serve as an anchoring foundation for the cast iron tower itself.

…One can only imagine the drudgery involved for the keepers who manned this station. Every afternoon he would have to leave the safety of the dwelling in Cheboygan and row the 1/4 mile out to the light in whatever weather the lake was dishing-up that day. On arrival at the crib, he would carefully secure his boat at the foot of the crib, and then gingerly step from the heaving boat onto the eleven foot ladder, climbing up to the deck while simultaneously carrying any supplies needed for the night. The lamp would illuminated at dusk, and the keeper would then sit in the solitude of the tower, huddled close to the stove to keep warm on cold nights during the late season, making frequent climbs to the lantern to adjust the light by trimming the wick, winding the occulting mechanism and adding fuel to the lamp. As dawn finally raised its head across the Straits of Mackinac, the lamp would be extinguished, and the illuminating apparatus, lens and lantern would be cleaned in preparation for illumination later that day. The keeper would then row the ¼ mile back to shore to get some sleep, knowing that he would have to back out on the crib to repeat the cycle a few short hours later.

Sounds like a wonderful job. Read lots more about the light from Terry Pepper.

If I were looking for northern lights, I might follow Carl around. He shot this on November 30th. See it background bigtacular and see more in Carl’s Northern Lights slideshow.

Want more lighthouses or northern lights? We have both on Michigan in Pictures…

Northern Lights Tonight?

Posted on by farlane

Surprise Northern Light

Surprise Northern Light, photo by Xavist on the colorful way

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (a great resource for alerts on the aurora borealis) reports that the Earth remains under the influence of a September 27 coronal mass ejection (CME)  that has reached the G3 (Strong) level. They say that auroral activity is possible through tonight, and they were seen last night at least as far south as Cadillac!

Last night Xavist Zhao caught these amazing northern lights over the Michigan Tech’s Amjoch Observatory. Check them out on black and see more including a couple more from last night in his Space & Astronomy slideshow.

Much more in our northern lights category on Michigan in Pictures!

The Northern Lights of Superior

Posted on by farlane

The Northern Lights of Superior

The Northern Lights of Superior, photo by PhotoYoop

Happy Saturday – I hope that lots of you are getting out to see the Perseid meteor shower tonight and tomorrow night!

Cory took this a couple of weeks ago in another auroral outburst in what has been a great year for the northern lights in Michigan.

Check it out on black, see a couple more shots in his slideshow or check out more of Cory’s great photos from after dark in his Night Time slideshow.

Dragonfly in the Northern Sky

Posted on by farlane

Dragonfly

Dragonfly, photo by Xavist on the colorful way

Sorry failing to post the last two days – I hope these stunning northern lights shots make up for it a little. Xavist took them last night on the Keweenaw, but I saw them all the way down in Frankfort!

Check this out bigger and see many more in his slideshow.

Many (many) more Michigan northern lights shots on Michigan in Pictures!

Northern Lights squared at Point Iroquois Lighthouse

Posted on by farlane

Iriquois Point Light and th Northern Lights

Iroquois Point Light and the Northern Lights, photo by yooper1949

It’s hard to let the Northern Lights go when they come for a visit as they did earlier this week, so here’s one more shot! You can read all about Point Iroquois Light from Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light.

The Iroquois tribe made their home far away in New York. Point Iroquois is located at the east end of Lake Superior, where the lake narrows into the St. Mary’s River. If you’re wondering like I was how this point came to bear their name, the brochure for Point Iroquois has the answer:

The area around Sault Ste. Marie (“The Soo”), including Whitefish Bay, has been called the “Heartland” of the Chippewa Indians. This tribe is also called Ojibwa, and sometimes refer to themselves as “Anishinabeg,” which is their word for “original people.” The Iroquois lived about 400 miles away, mostly in what is now western New York. In the 1600’s these nations were at war, at least in part because of European influence and fur trade competition. The Iroquois often sent expeditions far from their homeland and attempted to control the trade routes leading east from the Great Lakes.

Accounts of an important battle at Point Iroquois in 1662 have been passed down for over 300 years. They tell how an Iroquois war party camped near the point where the lighthouse now stands, and how the Chippewa secretly watched their movements and mounted a surprise attack near dawn. The Iroquois were defeated decisively, and apparently never again ventured this far west.

Here’s information on visiting Point Iroquois Lighthouse and you can also see it on Google Maps.

Carl seems to have a knack for shooting the Northern Lights at the lighthouses of Northern Michigan. Check it out background bigtacular and see a ton more in his Lighthouse slideshow.

Much more northern lights and lighthouses on Michigan in Pictures!

April Northern Lights over Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Reflection

Reflection, photo by Xavist on the colorful way

Quite a number of photographers in our Absolute Michigan pool caught photos of the aurora borealis. More including a great video over on Absolute Michigan.

See Xavist’s photo background bigtacular, catch another that is currently the cover of our Absolute Michigan Facebook or enjoy some great photos from the U.P. in his slideshow.

Much (much) more northern lights information & photos on Michigan in Pictures.

Old Mackinaw Lighthouse under the Northern Lights

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Old Mackinaw Lighthouse under the Northern Lights

Old Mackinaw Lighthouse under the Northern Lights, photo by yooper1949.

The sun has let off a big flare – read all about it and see a cool time-lapse of the October aurora on Northern Lights a strong possibility! at Absolute Michigan.

Carl shot this in October of 2011 – see the photo bigger on black and in Carl’s gorgeous Lighthouses slideshow.

Many more Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis photos on Michigan in Pictures!

Northern Lights of October 24, 2011 in Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Marquette Northern Lights, October 24, 2011, photo by Shawn Malone / Lake Superior Photo

Last night Michigan was treated to an amazing show of Northern Lights as the skies exploded in red, green, white and even blues and yellows of the best display of the Aurora Borealis in years. Our Michigan Northern Lights Log and Flickr group lit up with photos and reports.

There were places you would expect – Marquette, the Keweenaw Peninsula, Escanaba – but also reports from literally EVERYWHERE in Michigan: Bath, Bellaire, Big Rapids, Blanchard, Clare, Charlotte, Charlevoix, Clark Lake, Coldwater Lake, East Leland, Frankfort, Fostoria, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Lapeer, Leland, Leelanau County, Lenawee County, Marquette, Mecosta, Mikado, Mulliken, Ottawa County, Onsted, Pontiac, Petoskey, Reading, Saginaw, Stockbridge, Tecumseh, Traverse City, Unionville, Whitehall & White Lake. People even checked in with reports from Pittsburgh, Indiana & Ohio.

Shawn took these shots last night near Marquette. She writes that she went back to the car to change lenses and the sky just lit up. Check the photo out bigger and see more stunning shots from last night in her jaw dropping northern lights of 10/24/11 set on Facebook! She’s got some with amazing reds. You can also purchase photos at lakesuperiorphoto.com!

Much more on the Northern Lights from Michigan in Pictures!