Northern Lights Possible Over These Michigan Counties Sunday Night

The Northern Lights - or Aurora Borealis - could make an appearance over much of Michigan overnight Sunday night into Monday morning.

The state is mostly cloud-free, but smoke from Canadian wildfires could hamper chances of seeing any display of lights. The greatest chances of spotting the aurora's vivid colors in the Michigan night sky are north of a line from Traverse City to Alpena, including all of the Upper Peninsula.

What Causes the Northern Lights?

According to scientists at Michigan Tech, "the lights are caused by the interaction between the Earth's magnetic field and charged particles from the sun's atmosphere that enter the earth's atmosphere. A solar flare floats through space on the solar wind, eventually penetrating the Earth's magnetic field. Electrons in the magnetic field sideswipe oxygen atoms or nitrogen molecules in the Earth's atmosphere," leading to the sometimes colorful show we get to see.

READ MORE: These Are the Best Places in Michigan to See the Northern Lights

Seeing the Northern Lights as far south as the contiguous United States is most likely to occur between August and April. This makes tonight's possibility even more remarkable.

Space.com notes that "as we approach the summer solstice on June 20/21, the window of darkness for observing northern lights is shrinking; the early morning hours around 1am and 2am might be the best time to try and see the Northern Lights."

Best Viewing Times and Locations

According to a map published by NOAA's Space Prediction Weather Center, all Michigan counties have a chance at seeing the Northern Lights tonight. Look to the north well after dark.

Get our free mobile app

If you're in a bigger city like Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Flint or Detroit, you stand a better chance of seeing the Northern Lights if you travel outside the city to a place where there's not as much light pollution.