DETROIT – Grab your iPhones or Androids, as that will be the best way to see the Northern Lights in Southeast Michigan tonight.
The reason is a burst of energy from the Sun. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G3, or strong, geomagnetic storm watch for June 4–5 because multiple coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, were expected to interact with Earth. A CME is a huge cloud of charged particles and magnetic energy blasted away from the Sun. NOAA said the combined arrival could happen around mid-afternoon Eastern Time on June 4, with stronger activity possible afterward into the evening.
Recommended Videos
Here is the cool part: Earth has a magnetic field that acts like a shield. When solar particles reach us, many get guided toward the polar regions. They crash into gases high in the atmosphere, and those gases glow. Oxygen often gives us green and red colors, while nitrogen can add blue, pink, or purple shades. NASA explains that aurora colors depend on which gas is hit and how high up the collision happens.
For Southeast Michigan, the best viewing advice is simple: get away from city lights, look north, and give your eyes time to adjust. A phone camera in night mode may see color before your eyes do.
The local weather setup also helps a bit, since the National Weather Service in Detroit expected dry, warm weather with limited cloud cover on June 4.
One fun fact: auroras do not have to be directly overhead. NOAA notes that bright auroras can sometimes be seen from up to about 1,000 kilometers away if conditions are right. So even here in Southeast Michigan, the Sun might paint the northern sky.