When I first started chasing Aurora over 12 years ago, I made every mistake in the book. It took me over one year and five epically failed attempts before I caught my first Aurora. Living in a major metro, I wanted to witness the Northern Lights in a fantastic, dreamy fashion, with the perfect setting while up north on holiday.

• I reserved lakeside rooms with enormous bay windows and lost money and PTO on each major trip. I didn’t realize the best way to catch Aurora is full immersion in the darkness, to go outside and let your night vision take it all in. Experiencing beautiful natural places, those trips were not a total loss — I always had at least one other thing to look forward to.

• I turned on Kp notifications on basic apps, not realizing that a Kp5 alerts you to a “p, planetary average of the past 3 hours” of activity that just barely equals K5, then it is too late. These alerts woke me after the Aurora faded, without fail.

• I set an alarm every hour on the hour to look outside. While being awake at night is vital to see Aurora, I learned this is not a winning strategy. The pillars might have exploded in the intervals in between. Those forecast times were a vague guide, not a concrete schedule.

• I tried to see Aurora in the suburbs, where ambient artificial light under typical conditions obscures any color in the Aurora. All I saw was white or silver veils.

• I drove hours upon hours without a destination in mind. I put tons of wear on my car, without a safe place to park. I didn’t realize if you never get out of the car and turn out all lights, you may never see it. I didn’t scout out good locations (which you can even do online) until I got desperate.

• I didn’t realize webcams, if you don’t understand the science, can be an early sign for any beginner that the Aurora are near. They can also provide timely proof that nothing is happening.

But you have to use the right ones, using webcams to our east as the Aurora comes west, detecting tall and vibrant activity to our north as a sign Aurora is strong enough to push south, or watching webcams from similar geomagnetic latitudes: Scandinavia and Michigan are not the same. Lol

• I didn’t have the social media network we have today, where literally all you have to do is wait for a Live Sighting near you. When that happens, you might see it in your backyard or at your local public boat launch. You do not have to drive far.

• I didn’t know what to look for. I didn’t know my camera would detect the colors before they brightened to my human eyes.

• I didn’t know the most brilliant sightings are more common around and after local magnetic midnight. I didn’t know I’d need to devote several hours to stargazing, if I wanted to see the brief peaks and pops of color in a display.

• I didn’t realize we can simply WAIT until we have evidence of Aurora on ACE and the DSCOVR satellite, in Earth’s orbit. Now, my team in the Michigan Aurora Chasers tells you when that happens! Often, even in all the excitement, we can stop to look at the charts and see that no impact has happened yet. Meaning, you can go on enjoying your daytime weekend plans, and not worry about Aurora forecasts.

• I didn’t realize the forecasts themselves would consistently be misleading, because scientists simply don’t have enough resources, enough data, and primarily enough satellites and spacecraft in flight to track the solar wind’s every move.

• I didn’t realize I’d have to learn about dark skies, pack an emergency kit for cold nights in nature, learn the terms and science of space weather, understand the uses and limitations of the camera, and be able to identify all the other sources of light at night — in order to be successful.

I cried. I felt like a failure. I missed work days. I lost a ton of money investing in those trips and doing it wrong. I disappointed my ex-husband with my seemingly reckless attempts. Then I decided to turn it around.

To learn. To read. To ask. To prepare. To strategize. To watch. To listen. To change. To be an active member of the community, always learning, always growing, always patient, always knowing that if we stick with it, we will get our chance.

In the Michigan Aurora Chasers where I serve as an admin and group founder, I’ve empathized with our members for the exciting forecast of early October 2024, which for days in a row had been such a disappointment. On the third day into a fantastic forecast that had been pushed forward, there was still hope for something phenomenal, but no evidence of impact yet.

Then at the end of a weekend, after nearly everyone had given up hope, we saw the epic G4 Storms of October 10, 2024!

It’s all part of the game! This is what it’s like to be an Aurora Chaser.

Solar eclipses don’t choose to reach Totality in your city. Moon halos don’t wait until you stand outside to watch. Shooting stars don’t fall on a schedule. Rainbows don’t alert you before they appear.

Welcome to the whims, the majesty, and the adrenaline of admiring Mother Nature! If you experience a failed Aurora Chase, know that you’re not alone in your frustration, our community leaders feel it too. Know that you’re not the first person who has lost the game for a night. Know that many of us come from the perspective that we’re all in this together. Our night will come!

It’s also a reminder to consider educating yourself. We in the Aurora Chasing community have a lot to offer you! We’re here to guide you to the Aurora.

Just not quite yet.

Explore MichiganAuroraChasers.com.