It's been a long time

Aurora Borealis over Little Presque Isle, Marquette MI, Lake Superior, USA

One of the things I keep tabs on regularly is space weather. Living on the south shore of Lake Superior provides in my mind, one of the best places in the lower 48 to have the opportunity to see the aurora borealis. Looking north over Lake Superior provides the dark skies necessary for seeing the lights in all of their magnificence, with the ability to see to the horizon, which is very helpful in determining if there's any activity. Spaceweather.com is a great starting point to learn about what's happening in space, run by Dr. Tony Phillips, production editor at science@NASA. It's updated daily and will let you know when there's a good chance to see northern lights. Currently, the lake effect machine is kicking up again, one of the only major obstacles preventing people in this area from seeing the northern lights, and dontcha know, we get snow! Spaceweather mentioned people in the Arctic Circle could see them tonight, but that doesn't mean Michgan is out of the picture. If the auroral oval swings south enough, I've seen many a display when the forecast is only calling for higher latitudes to see them. It's been a good two years since I've seen an active display that had any kick to it. But keep your eyes to the sky. There's still a lot to learn about the aurora.
Go here to view more Aurora Borealis pictures from northern Michigan.