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.
May 23, 2023 8:00 pm - May 25, 2023 4:00 am
The long range forecast shows a moderate chance of northern lights May 23-25. Check back late May 20th and we will update you as to times. It could be dusk on May 23rd or early morning hours of the 24th; same for evening of the 24th/early the 25th. This forecast is for everywhere north of Duluth across the entire state of Minnesota. Learn more about northern lights and stargazing
June 2, 2023 9:00 pm - June 2, 2023 10:30 pm
Northern lights will be out at dusk. The storm starts midafternoon, but will only be visible after dark. Hopefully we can get a glimpse before it fades. This forecast is for everywhere north of Duluth across the entire state of Minnesota. Learn more about northern lights and stargazing
June 18, 2023 9:00 pm - June 18, 2023 11:45 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 summer, the dipper is at ‘9-o’clock’ and hangs dipper down.
July 17, 2023 9:00 pm - July 17, 2023 11:45 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 summer, the dipper is at ‘9-o’clock’ and hangs dipper down.
August 11, 2023 11:00 pm - August 12, 2023 5:00 am
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most prolific showers of the year, producing rich, bright streaks. The Perseids are active from mid-July until late August and will peak Aug. 11-12 according to the AMS. Though the full moon badly interfered with the shower in 2022, that will not be the case this year as it will be only 10% illuminated. Viewers can start observing around 11 p.m. local time when the rates of shooting start increasing and can watch the sky until dawn. The Perseid meteor shower radiant is in the constellation Perseus. This strong shower is produced by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, an icy body that takes 133 Earth years to orbit once around the sun. If there's a clear sky, the Perseids will have a meteor rate of about 100 visible "shooting stars" per hour.
August 16, 2023 9:00 pm - August 16, 2023 11:45 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 summer, the dipper is at ‘9-o’clock’ and hangs dipper down.
September 14, 2023 8:00 pm - September 14, 2023 11:45 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 autumn, the dipper is at ‘6-o’clock’ with the dipper facing up/handle to the left.
October 8, 2023 10:00 pm - October 9, 2023 3:00 am
The Draconid meteor shower has staged some dramatic outbursts in the past but nowadays its show is far from extravagant. In recent years the Draconids have been relatively quiet, producing few meteors and no noticeable outbursts of activity. The shower is active between Oct. 6-10, peaking around Oct. 8-9. Viewing conditions are favorable this year as the moon will only be 19% illuminated. The Draconids are caused by Earth passing through debris — bits of ice and rock — left behind by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner as it hurtles through the solar system, passing Earth once every 6.6 years, according to NASA Science.
October 14, 2023 8:00 pm - October 14, 2023 11:45 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 autumn, the dipper is at ‘6-o’clock’ with the dipper facing up/handle to the left.
October 20, 2023 9:00 pm - October 20, 2023 11:45 pm
Like the Eta Aquarids, the Orionid meteor shower is a by-product of Halley's Comet. In 2023 the Orionids are active from Sept.26 to Nov.22 and will peak on Oct 20-21, with clear-sky rates of about 20 meteors per hour. The moon will be 37% full this year and so will not interfere with Orionid viewing opportunities as much as it did in 2021. Orionids are named for their radiant near the constellation Orion, the hunter, which is one of the easier constellations to spot with the three stars that make up its "belt." The period of activity peaks on Oct. 20 but begins on Sept. 26 and lasts until Nov. 22.
November 11, 2023 10:00 pm - November 12, 2023 3:00 am
The Taurid meteor shower is an annual meteor shower that occurs every November and is composed of two streams, the Southern Taurids and the Northern Taurids. The Taurids put on a rather modest show. At peak viewing times during the Taurid meteor shower, you may be able to see about a half-dozen shooting stars per hour. The Northern Taurids are active between Oct. 13 and Dec. 2 and peak on Nov. 11-12.
November 13, 2023 8:00 pm - November 13, 2023 11:45 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 autumn, the dipper is at ‘6-o’clock’ with the dipper facing up/handle to the left.
November 17, 2023 10:00 pm - November 18, 2023 3:00 am
The Leonid meteor shower offers clear-sky meteor rates of about 10 to 15 shooting stars per hour. They are active between Nov. 3 and Dec. 2 and will peak on Nov. 17-18. The Leonids are bright meteors and have a high percentage of persistent trains according to AMS. The Leonids' radiant is located in the sickle-shaped head of the constellation Leo, the lion. Leonid meteor hunting can be incredible, or a total bust. It all depends on where its parent body, Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, will be in its orbit and the kind of debris clumps that will be around when our planet passes through this comet's orbit.
December 12, 2023 7:00 pm - December 12, 2023 11:45 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.
December 13, 2023 10:00 pm - December 14, 2023 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. 2023 will be a great year for Geminid meteor shower viewing as it peaks around the time of the new moon.. 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 22, 2023 10:00 pm - December 23, 2023 3:00 am
The Ursid meteor shower is active between Dec. 17-26 and this year will peak on Dec. 22-23. The Ursids are associated with Comet 8P/Tuttle, a periodic comet that follows a 13.5-year elliptical orbit around the sun.
