Northern Lights make an appearance in Michigan

The State of Michigan got a special treat normally reserved for our neighbors to the north.

The Northern Lights appeared all across the state, from the base of the Lower Peninsula to Lake Superior. The explanation was that a large system of high pressure over the Mississippi Valley displayed the colors across the Midwest and parts of the South. The Northern Lights, or the aurora borealis, are created by solar particles colliding with atoms near the North Pole.

I went out to my window to try and find the lights, but couldn't see them in my apartment in northern Lenawee County. Apparently they could be seen south of me in Adrian, so I may have not been able to see them because of the flood light on my apartment.

Hearing all of this talk of the lights reminded me of the first and only time I've seen them. It was 2002, and I was in Canada on a week-long canoe trip. It was roughly 12:30 at night, and we were cooking steaks over the fire. We saw these strange beams of light running down the sky, and they didn't stay still. It wasn't like some images, but it was enough to notice sitting by the campfire. If you were lucky enough to see the lights last night, savor the chance, because you never know when the Northern Lights will be back.

I've taken some of the photos taken last night, as well as reactions from across the state, and gathered them together below. Take a look and let me know what you think.