Jackson

Capturing the northern lights on camera requires manual mode settings with a wide aperture (f/1.4 to f/2.8), high ISO (1600 to 3200), and shutter speeds between 5 and 15 seconds. These three settings work together as the exposure triangle, and adjusting them in real time based on aurora intensity is what separates a blurry green … Read more

You step outside during a geomagnetic storm alert. Friends are posting stunning green and purple aurora photos all over social media. You look up and see… nothing. Or maybe just a faint grey haze where the sky seems slightly lighter than it should be. Then you pull out your phone, point it at the sky, … Read more

In May 2024, something extraordinary happened. The northern lights painted skies across all 50 states, with confirmed sightings as far south as Alabama, northern Florida, and even parts of Texas. Social media exploded with photos of pink and green aurora over backyards in places that had never seen such displays. It felt like the rules … Read more

Seeing the aurora borealis is on nearly every traveler’s bucket list, but for those of us living in the contiguous United States, figuring out how to plan a Northern Lights trip from the Lower 48 without wasting a vacation can feel overwhelming. I have spent the past three aurora seasons helping friends, family, and readers … Read more

Learning how to chase the aurora in the Midwest changed everything for me. I used to think you needed to fly to Iceland or northern Canada to see the northern lights. Then one September night in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, standing on the shore of Lake Superior, the sky exploded in green and purple ribbons stretching … Read more

You step outside into the freezing Arctic night. The forecast promised a strong geomagnetic storm. You look up and see… a faint grayish-white cloud drifting across the sky. But then your friend snaps a photo, and the screen explodes with vivid green curtains of light. Sound familiar? This is the classic experience of aurora chasing, … Read more

If you have ever checked an aurora forecast and felt confused by all the numbers, you are not alone. The single most important factor in whether you will see the northern lights is your magnetic latitude, not your geographic location on a standard map. Understanding magnetic latitude aurora predictions can mean the difference between a … Read more

You are standing under a sky that suddenly turns green. Ribbons of light crawl across the stars, pulsing and shimmering in ways no photograph can fully capture. That is the aurora borealis, and it is one of the most unforgettable experiences a traveler can have. But if you live in the United States and want … Read more

Downloading an aurora forecast app sounds simple enough. You search your app store, pick the one with the most downloads, and expect reliable alerts for the next geomagnetic storm. After spending months testing aurora apps across different devices, I can tell you that approach leads to disappointment more often than not. The problem is that … Read more

You are standing under a dark sky, and there it is. A thin ribbon of purple light stretches across the horizon, glowing softly beside the shimmering green of the aurora. You grab your camera, snap a photo, and wonder: is that STEVE, or just another aurora? Learning how to recognize STEVE and tell it apart … Read more