The Aurora Borealis and Perseids Showers - Together! August 11-12, 2024

Port Austin, Michigan. August 12, 2024. 2:40am

I booked the motel room in early June. Port Austin, in our favorite cute little motel up by Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay. Tip of the thumb, with gorgeous sunsets, quaint little eateries, art barns, farm stands, and easy access to a dark sky preserve. I made the reservation for Sunday, August 11th, the best night for the annual Perseids Meteor Showers.

Astrophotogaphy mode -- the Auroroa moves, and I got a meteorite!

Port Crescent Dark Sky Preserve. August 12, 2024. 1:01am.

Then Aaron came home at the end of his semester. Then Ezra decided to come, too. And then... at midday Sunday afternoon the motel called. They had some water issues in the room and had to cancel the reservation. Should I cancel the trip? To spend more time with the children? The forecast was iffy, this was my chance if I wanted it. 

Port Austin, Michigan. The Autora is out! August 11, 2024. 11:18pm

A friend had texted me, "Pray to the sun gods," which meant not anything to do with the meteor showers, but with solar activity. Before that, she had written, "I have a feeling you might see Lady A Sinday night!!" That prediction, per the NOAA site, looked marginally promising. Two in one? Possible? Maybe?

I called the cute motel next door, the one with the apple trees between its cottages, and they had a room, more suitable even for 4 people than the one I had reserved. We arrived in time for dinner at our favorite local pizza joint, caught the tail end of a beautiful sunset under the clouds, and settled in to wait to go to the Port Crescent Dark Sky Preserve. Just after 11pm, with Ezra already dozing, I set the alarm for 1:25am and texted my friend: "You hearing of anything near Port Austin? I'm seeing sightings elsewhere in Michigan. We're going to go out around 1:30am."

Port Austin, Michigan. Aurora with the Big Dipper. August 11, 2024. 11:42pm

The reply was immediate: "Go out now!!"

So, down to the beach we went and, well... I pretty much immediately ran back to the room and woke Ezra. For the next four hours -- some at the motel's beach, and some at the dark sky preserve -- we communed with the wind, with other seekers, with the Perseids showers, and with the magical mystical force of the aurora. I have now sought out the Aurora Borealis three times in my life -- all since early May, here in the southern half of Michigan -- and gotten it all three times. Pinch me!

Port Crescent Dark Sky Preserve. I don't even know how it came out like this. August 12, 2024. 1:04am

When we were getting back in the car to return from the dark sky preserve, I remembered something Ezra used to say often as a child, upon a happy occurrence: "This is the best day of my life!" With the door still opened, I asked, "was that totally cool?" Yes! "are you happy we came?" Yes! "Is this the best day of you life? Laughter. And then, from the next car, also leaving at that moment, a woman shouted out, "Is this the best day of my life? Yes!!!"

Port Austin, Michigan. Looking straight up. August 12, 2024. 2:39am

At the Aurora's peak, as eeen at the dark sky preserve, it took up pretty much the entirety of the lower Northern horizon, sometimes shooting coronal streaks straight overhead or across the sky, It threw off so much ambient light that I stopped looking for meteors in that area of the sky. By the time we left the dark sky preserve I could easily distinguish the hues without the aid of my cell phone camera, could see the pillars, the reds, and the greens. After the fact, I also discovered that my phone has something called "astrophotography" mode, which gave me some unexpected pleasant surprises in the pictures from the evening.

Port Austin, Michigan. Pillars! August 12, 2024. 2:30am