Experience the Aurora
As a group, we create many opportunities to bring Aurora Chasers together. They span a broad range from workshops, socials and programs to the Live Chase.
Scroll down to find:
- Michigan Aurora Socials, Live Chases, and the new Aurora Experience
- The Annual Michigan Aurora Chasers Workshop
- Aurora & Dark Sky Festivals and Conventions
- Workshops offered by Group Experts
- Upcoming events & guest appearances
The Featured Photograph is by Christina Cantu Sharp, taken during a MI Aurora Experience on November 12, 2025, held in Pinckney, Michigan.
Upcoming Events
Join us at one of our upcoming events! You can also watch for opportunities inside the Michigan Aurora Chasers Group on #WorkshopWednesday or under our Events tab.
Guiding You to the Northern Lights
A Virtual Workshop with Melissa F. Kaelin
7-9pm ET, February 2, 2026
Workshop from 7-8pm ET, Followed by discussion and advice from 8-9pm ET
Admission: $25 plus fees
RSVP on Facebook
Register to attend: https://www.eventzilla.net/e/guiding-you-to-the-northern-lights-2138675617
2026 Night Photo Summit
Featuring Michigan Aurora Chasers Admin Marybeth Kiczenski
“One Photo is Never Enough: Focus Stacking at Night”
Night Photo Summit, February 13-15, 2026
Learn More & Register: https://2026.nightphotosummit.com/
MI Aurora Experience: Tip of the Mitt!
NEW TIME! 8:45pm, Friday, March 20, 2026 — Meet us no later than 9:00pm on the dot. All vehicles will have left Headlands by 9:00pm.
To evaluate snow cover, we will meet at Headlands first to choose a location. Then everyone will drive to the guided chase location. Free and open to the public, no registration required.
Details: https://michiganaurorachasers.com/events/experience/
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/842327528674501/
4th Annual Michigan Aurora Chasers Workshop & Weekend
Join us for an afternoon of exciting sessions on forecasting and photographing the Northern Lights with the Admin Team and/or Group Experts. Registration is free for this event, but it is required to attend.
While you are in Mackinaw City, enjoy these other features of the MI Aurora Workshop & Weekend:
• Friday Evening — Kick-Off Party at Headlands International Dark Sky Park
• Friday Night — MI Aurora Experience: Tip of the Mitt
• Saturday Morning — Two Times for MAAC Watercolor Aurora Painting Class, Registration required
• Saturday Noon — MI Aurora Workshop, Registration required
• Saturday Pizza Dinner — Prepaid as an option for Workshop Registration
• Saturday Night — Guided chase weather permitting, meet at Headlands, free and open to all, no registration required
• Sunday Morning — Fireside Chat: Shape of the Sky Project Launch & Book Signing with Melissa F. Kaelin, No registration required
MI Aurora Workshop
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Noon – 5:30pm ET
Headlands International Dark Sky Park
Mackinaw City, Michigan
Admission: Free, with optional dinner ticket, Must be registered to attend
Tickets go on sale at 10am ET, January 31st. Tickets will sell out.
Click here to subscribe for updates about the annual workshop.
View Workshop Details | RSVP on Facebook!
2026 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival
Featuring Founder Melissa F. Kaelin & Various Speakers
April 16-18, 2026
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge
Copper Harbor, Michigan
Details: https://keweenawmountainlodge.com/calendar/2026-upper-peninsula-dark-sky-festival/
9th Annual Aurora Summit
Celebrating the Art, Culture, Science and Photography of the Aurora
Save the Date! November 6-8, 2026
The Aurora Summit will be coming to Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Michigan!
GLAD Jam
Great Lakes Aurora & Dark-sky Jamboree
Tentative: September 10-13, 2026, Houghton, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Our Events
Are you hoping to catch the Northern Lights? Our events offer people a chance to gather, learn, and get hands-on experience chasing, forecasting or photographing the Aurora.
Throughout the year, we hold meet-up events, such as the #LiveChase, the Aurora Experience, and the Michigan Aurora Workshop. To find events and workshops, check back on this website, follow the Michigan Aurora Chasers Facebook Page, or Subscribe for Updates.
In the Michigan Aurora Chasers, we’re thrilled to sustain a welcoming community, and you’re welcome to become a part of it!
MI Aurora Experience
Our Michigan Aurora Experience events are scheduled well in advance, without knowledge of what weather on Earth or weather in Space will bring. It takes favorable conditions both on Earth and in space to see the Northern Lights. Still, during these events, we will take you out into the night and do everything in our power to help you catch the Aurora, teaching you everything we know.
If you’re attending one of these events, know that we have no way of knowing whether you will see the Northern Lights. It all depends on how conditions change during that week and that night. You can find these events posted here on our events page and in the Facebook Group, and sometimes posted on Instagram by @mfkaelin or @MiAuroraChasers.
The Live Chase
Our #LiveChase events are announced with very little notice, as Group Experts and Admins monitor conditions to take note of probably Aurora Activity after nightfall in the Great Lakes region. These events are announced in the Facebook Group on the day of the event, and sometimes on Instagram by @mfkaelin or @MiAuroraChasers.
Guest Appearances
You’re welcome to join our Admins and Group Experts from the Michigan Aurora Chasers for one of their appearances, whether it’s an Aurora Chasing talk, book signing, workshop, conference or festival!
We encourage our lead team to send us the details for any upcoming talks, to add them here alongside talks by the group founder.
Photography Workshops
Looking for a photography, night sky or Aurora Chasing workshop? We encourage anyone offering quality events to post them in the Michigan Aurora Chasers group on Workshop Wednesday, but we try to keep a pulse on what is available, especially by our hardest working volunteers.
Browse the offerings of these expert Aurora Chasers and Destinations:
- Workshops by Shelbydiamondstar Photography
- Workshops by Christina Wiggins Photography
- Workshops by Ryan Jake Jakubowski
- Workshops by Aubrieta Hope & Neil Weaver
- Workshops by JM Naturescapes
- Headlands International Dark Sky Park Events
- Keweenaw International Dark Sky Park Events
- Dr. T.K. Lawless International Dark Sky Park Events
Other Annual Events
Browse the listing below to see what events are coming up and what popular events we hope to offer again. New opportunities are posted by our members and Group Experts every week on #WorkshopWednesday in the Michigan Aurora Chasers Group.
Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival
The event will be held over April 24-26, 2025, and provides three days of learning. Events and workshops will be hosted at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, headquarters for the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park.
Details: https://keweenawdarksky.com/calendar/2025-upper-peninsula-dark-sky-festival/
The Aurora Summit
Celebrating the Art, Culture, Science & Photography of the Northern Lights
Featuring Michigan Aurora Chasers Admins & Group Experts, A conference co-founded by Michigan Aurora Chasers Founder Melissa F. Kaelin and Dixie J. Burbank. Registration is required.
Details: TheAuroraSummit.com
Selected Past Events
LIVE CHASE: Northern Lights Dance Nationwide: Live Chase
November 12, 2025
6:30pm-10:30pm
Pinckney Recreation Area, Silver Lake, Michigan
Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1248259957334991
Free, donation suggested: BuyMeACoffee.com/mfkaelin
3rd Annual Michigan Aurora Chasers Workshop & Weekend
The 3rd Annual Michigan Aurora Chasers Workshop will be held May 31, 2025 at Headlands International Dark Sky Park, with free registration required to attend. Details are coming soon! Subscribe for updates.
Join us for a weekend celebrating the Northern Lights! The weekend of May 30-June 1, 2025 will feature several opportunities related to Aurora, including the main event: The 3rd Annual Michigan Aurora Chasers Workshop at Headlands International Dark Sky Park on Saturday, May 31. Free registration is required to attend.
A Kick-Off will be held Friday evening at the Dark Sky Park before the event, with additional opportunities to take paid classes from Michigan presenters. The optional paid classes will be offered Saturday morning and Sunday morning. Our events on Friday and Saturday evening will be followed by a #LiveChase to catch Aurora, Space and Earth Weather permitting.
Space is limited!
Registration opens at noon on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
REGISTER: Visit the Eventzilla Registration Website
RSVP ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/5902
Dark Sky Sanctuary Adventure with the Michigan Aurora Chasers
Michigan’s International Dark Sky Sanctuary has invited leaders of the Michigan Aurora Chasers to speak and guide Aurora Chases on the island, during the 2025 Sustainability Fair!
Join the Michigan Aurora Chasers at Beaver Island Dark Sky Sanctuary as we speak and chase the Aurora during the Sustainability Fair. Take the ferry out from Charlevoix and join in as we explore the pristine wilderness and lead guided Aurora Chases on Beaver Island!
Dates: Friday, June 20 – Monday, June 23, 2025
Location: Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area and International Dark Sky Sanctuary
Admission: Free and open to the public
Details: https://www.michigan.org/event/michigan-aurora-chasers-dark-sky-sanctuary-event
Two Facebook Events exist for the event, be sure to check the pinned post in the Discussion to click over to see all the details:
1) RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1491720128470538 with pinned link to RSVP [OR]
2) RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1864289783975678/
Schedule Highlights:
4-8pm Friday — Meet and Greet at Whiskey Point Brewing Company
8pm Friday, approx. — Sunset Meet and Greet at Donegal Bay Pavilion
10am-Noon, Saturday — Join us at the Sustainability Fair, Beaver Island Community Center
3-4pm Saturday — Author Talk & Book Signing with Melissa F. Kaelin, Beaver Island Library, Link: https://wvbi.biccenter.org/calendar-2#event=78001477;instance=20250621150000?popup=1
Nightly Guided Aurora Chases, weather depending, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at sunset
Getting to Beaver Island: https://darksky.org/places/beaver-island-state-wildlife-research-area/
First MI Aurora Experience: Point Betsie
Where: Tentatively Point Betsie Lighthouse
When: Thursday, April 24, 2025
7:30pm until at least 11:30pm
Please arrive before sunset so you can see where you’re going!
Details: Learn about the Experience by clicking here
Admission: Free, with suggested donation
RSVP on Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/473902625784745
POSTPONED: SolarMaX Mission – Observation Night
Attention: This event has been postponed. We will not meet up north on April 1, April 2, or April 3. The Governor has declared a State of Emergency in Michigan, and a second intense storm system is predicted to hit Michigan on Wednesday.
Due to falling ice, downed trees and power lines, closed roads, and gas stations with no power, our leadership has decided to postpone the Observation Night. We apologize for the inconvenience. If it is safe, we encourage everyone to participate in the mission from their homes and local neighborhoods.
Tentatively 7:30pm, April 2, 2025
Glen Haven, Michigan (and Mackinaw City Area)
Free and open to the public. Hosted by Ground Support Team Admin Patrick Grubba and Founder Melissa F. Kaelin
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/2197769110641591
How to participate at home: https://www.solarmaxmission.com/
Celebrating 100K! Statewide Live Chase!
RSVP for updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/455341716911164
We’re thrilled to celebrate an amazing season in Aurora Chasing! Now, we finally have a good forecast to work with, that’s not a G5 Storm. So, your Lead Team has declared a #LiveChase!!! 💥🌎☄️😎
To celebrate hitting over 100,000 members and leading THOUSANDS to their first Aurora, we will hold a special STATEWIDE LIVE CHASE on Monday, June 10th at sunset! Join us on Monday, June 10th as we chase the Northern Lights at locations across Michigan! Because we are planning this event in advance, we cannot guarantee Aurora Sightings. But we will teach you the game of Aurora Chasing! So far, here are your guides:
• Guide Patrick Grubba, Dark Sky Viewing Area inside Wilderness State Park near Mackinac City
• Guide Melissa F. Kaelin, Little Sable Point Lighthouse, near Mears:
• Guide Nate Stovall, Flat Rock, Port Austin
• Guide Pandora Biskner, Dark Sky Preserve, Port Austin
• Guides Christina Wiggins and Ryan Jake Jakubowski, Bay City State Park on the beach
• Guide Christina Cantu Sharp, Glen Haven Cannery
• Guide Kris Knutson, Copper Harbor Lighthouse, Upper Peninsula
Statewide Live Chase
Description: Meet us at one of five events on June 10, 2024 to chase the Northern Lights, in a #LiveChase led by our lead team.
When: 8 p.m. ET, Monday, June 10, 2024
Where: Locations around Michigan
Admission: Free
Link: https://m.facebook.com/events/455341716911164/
Date: 7:30pm, Saturday, January 6, 2024
Location: The Limberlost, Houghton Lake, Michigan
Admission: Free
Michigan Aurora Chasers 