The evening of October 10, 2024 ( a KP index of 9!) brought another spectacular solar storm our way, triggering displays of the Aurora Borealis across Michigan and elsewhere. The Aurora Borealis appears more frequently at lower latitudes because we are likely approaching the maximum peak of our sun’s solar maximum 11-year cycle, which NOAA estimates may occur between late 2024 and 2026. The display of October 10 had a KP index of 9!

It’s also interesting to consider how technology has enabled many more people to witness and record the aurora in places where they would likely go unnoticed. Just go on any social media outlet, and you will see thousands of aurora photos—mostly due to the low-light capabilities of phone cameras that didn’t exist 11 years ago.

Unless you are fortunate enough to live in a dark sky area or are already involved with astrophotography, it’s likely even the strongest storms could go unnoticed due to light pollution and haze. Now, people are aware that their phone cameras have become somewhat of a treasure-hunting device as they are more sensitive to light than our eyes are. Hence, the explosion of photos on social media and the formation of enthusiast groups.

“Look through your phone” may well become the most repeated advice of 2024 to puzzled stargazers wondering why they are missing out on the show.

Finding a spot

Given my success in finding a good spot back in May, I returned there again. It doesn’t offer many composition possibilities, so you primarily depend on Aurora variations. It is pretty close to home and does not require long drives in the middle of the night. It’s not quite a dark sky but much better than my neighborhood. A key feature for me is that there are no distracting lights on the horizon for the superwide view of my 10mm lens.

I remain open to finding a different venue, but this is a good, reliable go-to for now.

What am I looking at?

Many more stars and other celestial features came through during these exposures than the photos I made in May. I think they add more to the landscape of a night sky than simply being just about the aurora. It is, after all, such an attention-hog diva. But I am quite an astronomy novice in identifying features beyond the Big and Little Dippers, maybe Orion’s Belt or Betelgeuse. 🙂

I usually do not look for the Seven Sisters’ Star Cluster (Pleiades / M45), but it was quite evident this evening and noticeable in the photos along the right edge. I was also apparently photobombed by the string of Starlink Satellites (middle)—thanks, Elon.

To assist further, I looked up a night sky star map for my location, date, and time, looking North. I then lined up the view to be the approximate view in the photo, and I have a good reference of all the objects there. Screenshot courtesy of The Sky Live:

I have some apps on my phone that do a live version of this, but I didn’t think of it at the time to screenshot that. Something to keep in mind next time, as it becomes a handy reference with the photos. Maybe someday I will actually learn many of these names, but fat chance of being able to point them out without some technological help.

The Solar Maximum

As I understand it, the exact solar maximum isn’t known until seven months after it has passed due to the way the sunspot activity is calculated and averaged. But right now, solar scientists seem to estimate it may occur sometime between mid-2024 and the end of 2025.

While there may be more opportunities, we are also approaching the time of year in Michigan where we barely see the sun for weeks. Factor in that this stuff takes place well past my normal bedtime, and it better be pretty tempting to get me out of the door at that hour.

Even with the thousands of photos posted online now, I am not tired of seeing it yet – even if it is just the same spot.

Edit: I posted a bit of a follow-up on my FB page about the colors: