copper + pine studio

🌙🌌✨🌲Northern lights on the Vernal Equinox 🌲✨🌌🌙

March 20 2026
Escanaba, Upper Peninsula, Michigan
8:42 to 9:16 pm Eastern

Finally... Not just for finally getting the right time and right conditions to see them, but finally for spring! My usual viewing locations in the area were still buried under snow so I made do with an overly bright side road. They were naked-eye visible in hazy white pillars and arcs, almost overhead.

I'll never not be in wonder at the sky at night 💖

Morning sunrise and Saccharum ravennae (Ravenna grass, also known as great pampas grass), Lake Michigan, Upper Peninsula, Michigan - December 16 2025

"I am at once in the same place and yet somewhere else entirely."

🌲🌌✨ Not even clouds could dim these lights ✨🌌🌲

This has been a crazy week for aurora activity and last night didn't disappoint, even with the cloud cover!

Northern lights over Little Bay de Noc, Lake Michigan, Upper Peninsula, Michigan - October 1 2025

10:46 - 11:14pm Eastern
3200 ISO
6 sec.

Sharing a share by a great weather resource here in Michigan (and the Great Lakes region)! Head on over to Michigan Storm Chasers to stay up to date on not just northern lights alerts but all things storm and weather related!

Another angle of the Aurora from Tuesday morning, September 30th. The emerald green band at the top of the photo is known as proton Aurora, and sometimes gives off a flickering appearance as it dances across the sky. Thank you Jamie (copper + pine studios) for allowing us to share with credit!

We’ve been watching the solar winds particularly today as they’ve increased from 400 to 600 km/sec. With winds that fast, substorms can occur more frequently with quicker recharge times. We will have updates later this evening as we approach sunset.

🌌🌙✨☄️My first proton aurora, first SAR, and aurora panorama. It was wild to watch and there are so many amazing photos others have shared so far. The proton aurora was wild to watch unfold - it moved so quickly across the sky. ☄️✨🌙🌌
Little Bay de Noc, Gladstone, MI
Canon 90D
Rokinon f/2.8 14mm
3200 ISO, 5-8 sec.
Between 9:47pm - 11:45pm Eastern

𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵 (𝘈𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘢) 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯, 𝘜𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘢, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯 - 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 22 2025

🍁🍂Happy Autumn Equinox🍂🍁

🍃 Change is the only constant 🍂

𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯, 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘜𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘢, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯 - 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 1 2025

9:16 p.m. to 9:28 p.m.

🌌✨🌙It started off quieter than anticipated until this small little window of activity. The moon was no help either, a half moon but bright enough. No matter what you see or hear in the news or online when aurora activity is hyped up, there are many variables - a lot of which can't be predicted - that can influence whether it's a "good" show or not.

I'll take a night under the stars - aurora or no aurora - any time though. 🌙✨🌌

𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘺 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘜𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘢, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯 - 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 23 2025

𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘤, 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯, 𝘜𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘢, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯 - 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺 6 2025

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘺 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘤, 𝘜𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘢, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯 - 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺 4 2025

It was par for the course getting out to take these photos. Almost every time I head out to take photos, especially of the northern lights, there's some minutiae in the process that I have to improve upon. Last night was pretty smooth - until I got to my "secret" viewing area. As soon as I went to pack my lenses into my smaller camera bag, my hand touched my camera. My face dropped and what I actually said was a lot less polite than "You've got to be kidding me!". I forgot my camera batteries that I had charging in the kitchen.

Did I want to go back and get it? No. Did I go back and get it? Yes. Did I want to go back out AGAIN to take photos? No. Did I go back out again? Yes. And I'm really glad I did.

Usually it takes about fifteen minutes to get from my house to this spot. Last night, it took me almost an hour after all that. It seemed kind of fitting for this point in my life: sometimes what you want comes easy and early on and sometimes what you want takes a lot of effort and happens much later than you anticipated. But what matters is in that moment standing in a spot you've daydreamed about and finally living in it.