Solar Maximum and what to expect.

2026 is the peak of the sun's 11 year cycle. This means an increase in sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections. With solar maximum comes an increased chance of spotting the northern lights. It’s wild to think that the colors are coming from particles from the sun colliding with different gases in our atmosphere. The greens you see most often are oxygen glowing at lower altitudes, while those rare reds are also oxygen but way higher up in the sky. The blues and purples come from nitrogen, usually when the energy is stronger and everything starts to mix together. It’s basically the atmosphere lighting up in layers, each color showing a different height and intensity overhead.

While the stars alone can be stunning in Northern Michigan, the Aurora Borealis is a reminder of the beauty of the cosmos, and life itself. 2026 will be a year worth looking up. While city lights may make it hard to observe solar events and the stars themselves, Michigan has a TON of dark sky parks devoid of light pollution. To find a park close to you CLICK HERE to visit Michigan's official list!

There's also some great apps you can get on your phone that will alert you when potential to see the northern lights increases. I like "My Aurora Forecast" since it shows KP index projections and seems to be the most accurate.  The Kp index is a scale used to measure how disturbed Earth’s magnetic field is, which gives a good idea of how likely it is that we’ll see the Aurora Borealis. It runs from 0 to 9, with lower numbers meaning calm conditions and higher numbers signaling stronger geomagnetic storms. Once the index reaches 5 or higher, auroras can start to push much farther south than usual, making them visible in places like Michigan. So when you hear that the Kp is high, it’s basically a heads-up that the night sky might have something special in store.