Northern lights put on show in Northern Michigan

Jillian Fellows, The Petoskey News-Review
·1 min read
The northern lights are seen overhead at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs at 12:30 a.m. on May 12, 2024.
The northern lights are seen overhead at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs at 12:30 a.m. on May 12, 2024.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Strong geomagnetic storms over the weekend lit up the night sky with the northern lights.

Chances to see the aurora borealis were possible on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Petoskey News-Review Sports Editor Drew Kochanny ventured out to capture images of the northern lights near Harbor Springs and Wilderness State Park in Emmet County.

The northern lights are visible from Wilderness State Park in northern Emmet County, looking out over Lake Michigan, around 11:30 p.m. on May 11, 2024.
The northern lights are visible from Wilderness State Park in northern Emmet County, looking out over Lake Michigan, around 11:30 p.m. on May 11, 2024.

More: Northern lights dazzle Michigan skies on May 10, 2024

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According to USA Today, the spectacle was caused by geomagnetic storms erupting from a sunspot cluster on the sun. The storm was usually strong — classified as "extreme" (or a G5) storm, the Space Weather Prediction Center said Friday. It's the first G5 storm to hit Earth since 2003.

Due to the strength of the storm, the northern lights were visible across much of North America, dipping as low as the Florida Keys and Mexico.

The northern lights are seen overhead at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs at 12:30 a.m. on May 12, 2024.
The northern lights are seen overhead at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs at 12:30 a.m. on May 12, 2024.

— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.  

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Northern lights put on show in Northern Michigan