By Paul Sundberg - Boreal Community Media - December 4, 2023

 Photo used with permission by Paul Sundberg

A strong aurora was predicted to arrive after midnight early Friday morning. I set our alarm clock for 12:00 but the clear skies showed no colorful lights. Went back to bed and reset the alarm for 2:00 AM. Still nothing. Woke up at 5:30 AM and looked out the bedroom window. Wow, it had finally arrived. We don’t often get red auroras and especially this bright. The sky was lit up even under the bright moon. The red and pink rays were so vivid. 

I threw on my jacket and headed for the Cutface Wayside overlooking Grand Marais. It was close and I didn’t have time to travel far before sunrise. Just as I pulled into the overlook a green and red curtain of color was moving across the sky in the direction of Grand Marais. You could already see light on the eastern horizon from the sunrise. This was one of the most colorful auroras I have seen in quite some time. I couldn’t have been in a more beautiful spot under better conditions for witnessing such a magical event.

To see more of Paul's photos, visit his website here. 

To learn more about Paul, read our exclusive 'Meet Your Cook County Neighbor' interview with him here.