Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
ABOVE, while Josh Lopac of Wakefield visits Wakefield VFW Post 9084 on Dec. 21, he and Jean Rogers, at left, display one of the photos he has taken of the Northern Lights.
By BRENDA MOSELEY
news@yourdailyglobe.com
Wakefield - Photographer Josh Lopac of Wakefield has been chasing northern lights since he first saw an aurora in February 2011.
His pursuits have taken him as far as Canada and Alaska, and he's now observed the phenomenon at least 300 times. Each experience is different and, for Lopac, that's part of the thrill.
It's a thrill he'd like others to try, and at his "Lights in the Sky" presentation at Wakefield VFW Post 9084 on Dec. 21, he shared tips about where and when to see and photograph the often elusive aurora borealis - also called the northern lights.
As Lopac explained, auroras are created when oxygen and nitrogen gas in the earth's upper atmosphere collide with solar winds carrying billions of accelerating electrons. They can arc across the sky in colors of green, red, pink, yellow, violet and blue and also can be in shapes of beams, patches and curtains.
The same occurrence in southern regions is known as "aurora australis" or "southern lights."
For persons in this region seeking auroras, Lopac recommends areas with vast horizons or high elevations that have little to no light pollution. His favorites include Black River Harbor, the Porcupine Mountains, Mt. Zion and the ski hills west of Hurley.
Predicting the best time to see an aurora is more complex and requires knowledge of both local weather and space weather. The most vivid auroras are usually seen on nights with strong geomagnetic storms in space but clear skies here.
Spaceweather.com and the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are useful resources for tracking solar storms and other sun activity.
With the sun currently at the start of its active period of magnetic activity, Lopac believes that 2025 will be an excellent year for viewing the lights.
He suggests joining regional Facebook groups dedicated to northern lights. The group Great Lakes Aurora Hunters sends out aurora alerts.
Lopac shared his own beautiful images of auroras during his presentation and encouraged others to try using their cameras or cell phones for northern lights photography.
He always brings a tripod, remote shutter and extra batteries with him and chooses his camera settings based upon the intensity of the lights.
Because cameras and cell phones vary in their controls and abilities, he recommended that others search for Youtube instructional videos that are specific to each person's chosen brand.
