![]() Keep track and get alerts for the peak times to catch the northern lights. Another popular vantage point to scope out is the Powell Marsh Overlook within the Powell Marsh Wildlife Area. It is a beautiful recreation area that lends itself well to seeing the lights. Start at boat landings that point North where you can't see any man-made lights. The key is to have as much horizon to see as possible because unfortunately, our beloved towering pines do tend to get in the way for this activity. With over 236,000 acres and more than 900 lakes within its boundaries, the Northern Highland - American Legion State Forest provides wonderfully scenic opportunities for a variety of outdoor recreation. Serious aurora hunters guard their prime viewing spots like a dragon guards his treasure, but there are plenty of possible viewing areas here in the Minocqua area. Here's how you can see the latest northern lights display. We are very fortunate in the Northwoods to often have a front-row seat to mother nature's most beautiful moments. Nitrogen gives off violet or pink colors but blue colors when the nitrogen is ionized. The color of each depends on the particle and gas it is interacting with. High-energy electrons cause oxygen to emit green light and low-energy electrons cause a red light. The glowing pillars and ribbons that fill the sky occur because charged particles from the sun interact with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in Earth's atmosphere. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are actually more science than magic. There is a lot of magic in Mother Nature but arguably nothing more magical than the northern lights. Driftless Dark Skies appears monthly in the Voice of the River Valley. For more information about stargazing in southwest WI, like Driftless Stargazing LLC on Facebook and find out whenever there’s something awesome happening in the skies. He volunteers with NASA/JPL as a Solar System Ambassador. John Heasley is an astronomy educator and stargazer who enjoys connecting people with the cosmos. We tend to be outside looking up when auroras arrive and love to share the joy. Join your fellow stargazers in Iowa County Astronomers or Starsplitters of Wyalusing or follow Driftless Stargazing on Facebook. Maybe take photos when you first go out or after you’ve gazed for a while. The last one is tough because smartphone cameras are excellent at recording more color and detail than our eyes experience. Avoid car lights and flashlights and cell phones. The longer we are in darkness, the more sensitive our eyes become. When everything aligns, it’s awesome and all the more awesome because auroras are so ephemeral. Just enjoy the photos folks are posting from less cloudy areas. We’ve missed some great displays because it was overcast. Only the brightest auroras are visible with moonlight, so times around the Last Quarter or New Moon are best. Have a spot in mind that is nearby with clear and dark views to the north. ![]() It helps even more to get away from village lights. We have those in abundance in the Driftless Area. In December that triples to twelve hours. In June, there’s only four hours of darkness between dusk and dawn. There are not more northern lights in the winter, but we are more likely to see them because nights are longer. Nothing to be done except be happy for our friends in Scandinavia where it’s already dark. We often miss great auroral displays because they arrive during the day when our part of the planet is facing the Sun. We are now in a period of less solar activity. Great Lakes Aurora Hunters send out Facebook alerts. has great information on solar activity and you can subscribe to alerts. NOAA NWS Space Weather Prediction Center can let you know how active the solar wind has been and how likely northern lights are for the next day or two. ![]() The University of Alaska Geophysical Institute has a clear map showing where auroras may be visible. We see auroras when charged particles from our Sun light up Earth’s upper atmosphere. Northern lights are rare and challenging to predict, but here’s how you can see them. The finale was the rising of the Waning Gibbous Moon around 8:15 washing out the aurora. For the next half hour, I was awed by the pulsating pillars and the ebbing and flowing of the ethereal lights. I quickly called an astronomy friend who spread the word by phone, email, and Facebook and put my phone away. The northern lights had returned! I hadn’t seen an aurora since St. Then I saw an unexpected glow low in the northern sky and luminous spikes flaring up through the Big Dipper. ![]() ![]() Our hands and feet were getting cold, and we were pondering what final stellar sights to see before calling it a night and putting the telescope away. I had been out for an hour and a half with a good astrobuddy touring the clusters, galaxies, and nebulas of the autumn sky at a dark site near Governor Dodge State Park. By 7:30pm on November 7, I was already a pretty happy stargazer. ![]()
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