Oh heavens! The night skies are filled with celestial phenomena – stars, constellations, the Moon, the Milky Way, and the northern lights (aka aurora borealis). Want to see it all? The North Shore has very little light pollution, especially away from the shoreline communities, making for ideal night sky viewing.
The vast night skies are another free North Shore attraction, open every night, easy to access.
Check below for the current northern lights forecast. Since these are storms, the forecast can change. Check back weekly as we update often.
Seeing the northern lights is breathtaking, inspiring, awesome. Shafts of luminescent green light dance across the sky. Fans of pink glow for hours. Vibrant, pulsating white wands illuminate the night heavens. This is the aurora borealis.
And to be perfectly frank, what looks like the white glow of light pollution is also the northern lights. Less showy, but frequent because northern lights are a geomagnetic storm that occurs close to the earth’s poles. When the storm is big and the winds are right the storm can be seen here.
The bigger the storm, the bigger show. Aurora forecasts are just that, predictions. If there is a likely chance we post a notice (see northern lights forecast below). As with other storms, sometimes they pass quickly and sometimes they linger all night.
Look to the north sky, this generally means Lake Superior is over your right shoulder.
Get away from lights, a mere half mile inland does the trick.
The higher in elevation you are, the better your chances of seeing the lights, and getting an unobstructed view.
If you see a smear of white over the forest, you may be seeing the aurora. Watch and see if it moves.
I wish I could give you photography tips, but that eludes me. Which is lucky because then I watch and appreciate.
A more consistent evening display is the Milky Way. This massive spiraling star formation has a dense nucleus and thin surround disc. When we see the hazy band of light bending across the night sky, we are looking at the Milky Way.
Moonless nights are best for night sky viewing – we’ve listed those times below.
The Milky Way is brightest in the summer months and can be seen in the east/southeast sky. Binoculars will let you zoom in on the shimmering stars.
January 4, 2025 12:00 am - January 4, 2025 11:59 pm
The long range forecast shows a moderate chance of northern lights January 4, 9, and 15. Since northern lights are solar storms, the likelihood changes as the date approaches. We will be back and update forecasts as we get closer to the date. This forecast is for everywhere north of Duluth across the entire state of Minnesota. Learn more about northern lights and stargazing
December 31, 2024 5:00 pm - December 31, 2024 7:00 pm
Northern Lights will be dancing across the sky all day New Year's Eve, so get out at dusk to catch the tail end of the storm. This forecast is for the northern half of Minnesota. Learn more about northern lights and stargazing
December 15, 2024 12:00 am - December 15, 2024 11:59 pm
Full moons have many names derived from various cultures reflecting what was happening in the natural world. December's full moon is known as the Cold Moon or Long Nights Moon. In addition to the shortest daylight day of the year, the Long Nights Moon pertains to the amount of time the moon is above the horizon. It takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite to the low sun.
January 13, 2025 12:00 am - January 13, 2025 11:59 pm
The January full moon is most often known as the Wolf Moon because it is the month hungry wolves howl in the night. It is also known as the Stay Home, or Quiet, Moon as cold temps set in and we want to snuggle in and stay home.
February 12, 2025 12:00 am - February 12, 2025 11:59 pm
The February full moon is known as the Snow Moon as it a month of big snowfalls. Some areas and cultures call it the Hungry Moon as it is a time of scarce food while others call it the Bear Moon as bear cubs are born(they don't leave the den until early April).
March 14, 2025 12:00 am - March 14, 2025 11:59 pm
The March full moon is known as the Worm Moon because (in warmer climates) it is when the earthworms start coming up out of the soil. It makes more sense to call it the Sugar Moon on the North Shore as maple sap typically begins to run in late March.
January 29, 2025 4:30 am - January 30, 2025 4:30 am
New moon nights – night when the moon is absent from the sky – make for great stargazing. Here’s a great way to start – look due north after the sun has set and find the Big Dipper constellation [see photo] with its telltale 3-star handle and 4-star dipper. In the winter, the dipper is at ‘3-o’clock’ with the handle hanging down.
February 27, 2024 4:45 pm - February 28, 2024 4:45 am
New moon nights – night when the moon is absent from the sky – make for great stargazing. Here’s a great way to start – look due north after the sun has set and find the Big Dipper constellation [see photo] with its telltale 3-star handle and 4-star dipper. In the winter, the dipper is at ‘3-o’clock’ with the handle hanging down.
March 29, 2025 4:00 am - March 30, 2025 4:00 am
New moon nights – night when the moon is absent from the sky – make for great stargazing. Here’s a great way to start – look due north after the sun has set and find the Big Dipper constellation [see photo] with its telltale 3-star handle and 4-star dipper. In the winter, the dipper is at ‘3-o’clock’ with the handle hanging down.
December 13, 2024 10:00 pm - December 14, 2024 3:00 am
The Geminid meteor shower occurs between November 19 to December 24 and this year will peak on the nights of December 13 and 14. The shower can produce 130 to 140 meteors per hour on a clear sky. However, an almost full moon will interefere with stargazing. The debris that falls onto Earth's atmosphere during this meteor shower comes from the asteroid Phaethon. The meteor shower's radiant is located in the constellation Gemini, which rises around sunset.
December 21, 2024 10:00 pm - December 22, 2024 3:00 am
The Ursid meteor shower is active between Dec. 17-26 and this year will peak on Dec. 21-22. The moon will be slight over half full. The Ursids are associated with Comet 8P/Tuttle, a periodic comet that follows a 13.5-year elliptical orbit around the sun.
December 30, 2024 7:00 pm - December 30, 2024 7:00 pm
New moon nights – night when the moon is absent from the sky – make for great stargazing. Here’s a great way to start – look due north after the sun has set and find the Big Dipper constellation [see photo] with its telltale 3-star handle and 4-star dipper. In the winter, the dipper is at ‘3-o’clock’ with the handle hanging down.
March 13, 2025 10:00 pm - March 14, 2025 10:00 pm
The first total lunar eclipse 2025 will be completely visible from start to finish beginning the 9:57 PM evening of March 13 and ending at 4AM in the pre-dawn of March 14. The ost visible part of the eclipse will be from 11:09 Pm until 2:48 PM (Central Standard Time) with the maximum total eclipse at 12:58 AM. You will see the Sugar Moon become completely covered. Note: You will not be able to see the second, September total lunar eclipse from continental United States.
