On Monday, Nov. 11, we’ll observe Mercury transit across the sun from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

In May 2011, Emmet County's Headlands property became the sixth International Dark Sky Park in the United States and only the ninth in the world. Free Guided Observing – Mercury Transit across the Sun.

Join us Friday, March 6, from 7-9 p.m., for an evening painting class with Creation Station as they guide us through painting our own masterpiece. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Our programs take place rain or shine, and no reservations are required unless otherwise noted.

While the grounds, trails, viewing areas and restrooms at Headlands are always open and freely accessible, the Waterfront Event Center is only open to the public during scheduled programming and gift shop hours.

The Headlands will kick off its “Evenings Under the Stars” series of programs on Friday, April 17! Celebrate the Solstice by bringing light and rhythm into the dark stillness of the season. Join us for the first big event of the season at the Headlands International Dark Sky Park when northern Michigan’s rock/funk trio The Marsupials perform live on Thursday, July 2 outside the Waterfront Event Center from 7-9 p.m.

Alpena’s Besser Planaterium Director Johnathan Winckowski will give a presentation in celebration of Statewide Astronomy Night.

Credit card accepted by phone and online.

Visitors are welcome to bring their own telescopes and/or binoculars. Guests are requested to maintain a six-foot distance from other guests outside their own household/group. Professor Oey’s presentation on “The Importance of Michigan Dark Skies” and the effects on humans and wildlife will be given remotely via video conference to help limit travel and properly social distance from guests.       +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) While Headlands Dark Sky Park is open 24/7/365, it may be worth making a contingency plan to camp nearby.

      Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ad3zc7z9cL.

Units like tents […] But experts and park staff are quick to point out that catching the Auroras is not always as easy as showing up.

This 600-acre parcel of old-growth forest sits on more than two miles of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline at the northwest tip of Michigan's lower peninsula, where the Straits of Mackinac sweep into the great lake. Regardless of what you do to keep the Northern Lights on your radar, perhaps the most important thing to remember is to be patient. Johnathan Winckowski will be presenting via Zoom on “Relative Motion” at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 26.

Cost is $10 per person. The Headlands staff will have some telescopes available on the outside viewing platform if conditions allow. The Marsupials will be joined by Ann Arbor band Chirp to entertain fans along the shore of Lake Michigan. 15675 Headlands Rd, Mackinaw City, MI 49701.

Join us Friday, March 6 from 7-9 p.m. for an evening painting class with Creation Station as they guide us through painting our own masterpieces. Learn more here. Along with informational sites, there are a couple resources out there that allow you to sign up for alerts on when the Northern Lights may be viewable. The Headlands is not intended as an overnight sleeping destination but instead is designed as a place to stay awake and view the stars. Seasonally, there are different constellations and meteor showers that move across the Headlands’ sky, giving each viewing experience a nightly facade of its own.

Johnathan is the Planetarium Coordinator for the Besser Museum and Planetarium in Alpena, Michigan. No painting … $35 per person Join us Friday, March 6, from 7-9 p.m., for an evening painting class with Creation Station as they guide us through painting our own masterpiece. Though many visitors stop by Headlands Dark Sky Park for an evening of casual stargazing, there are also seasonal visitors who arrive with the specific intention of catching the northern lights—by far the most elusive of the park’s nighttime sights.

Despite the widely circulated stories of bucket-list, international travel to catch the northern lights, you can see the northern lights from the continental U.S.—just not from densely populated or well-lit areas. Perhaps its most coveted feature, the Headlands Dark Sky Park includes more than two miles of Lake Michigan coastline.

There is no cost to come into the event center to watch the presentation, however, donations to the Headlands Dark Sky Park are always appreciated. All observing dates are weather-permitting. SpaceWeather offers free Aurora Alerts, which will email you as soon as there’s information regarding a possible sighting. He became a certified astrophysicist after earning his bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics at the University of Toledo.      Date/Time:  Friday, June 19, at 7 p.m.    • Guests will also be asked to socially distance from other guests outside of their household/group. Due to practices implemented to prevent of the spread of COVID-19, Professor Sally Oey of the University of Michigan will now be offering a special presentation virtually at the Headlands Event Center on Friday, June 19. Regardless of where you go for your information gathering, be sure to check out at least a couple of different solar sites to get the most up to date information on when you might catch the northern lights at Headlands Dark Sky Park.
Join us Friday, March 6, from 7-9 p.m., for an evening painting class with Creation Station as they guide us through painting our own masterpiece.

© 2015 All Rights Reserved • Produced by Gaslight Media. To protect the darkness of the park, please use red-filtered flashlights during your visit to the Headlands.

     Passcode:  2evRea. In May 2011, Emmet County's Headlands property became the sixth International Dark Sky Park in the United States and only the ninth in the world.

To join the event, follow the Zoom link below and follow the prompts.

SUMMER/FALL 2020 – NOTICE TO VISITORS – Due to limited staff and procedures put in place at the park to prevent the spread of the cororavirus, visitation into the park will be limited until further notice. • Masks are required to be worn inside the Event Center. We’ll be hosting Professor Oey on Zoom. Units like tents and campers are not allowed in the park.

Guided observing will be part of the program. Dark Sky Park Program Coordinator Call 231.427.1001

With excellent weather predicted for the July 2 evening, expect the small parking lot to fill up early. Join us Friday, March 6, from 7-9 p.m., for an evening painting class with Creation Station as they guide us through painting our own masterpiece.

Observation is weather-permitting.

Image from Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0. Sign up now at Creation Station’s website or call (231) 268-3059.

Whether in Alaska, the uppermost parts of Canada, or the Arctic circle, the Auroras are often referenced as being a phenomenon requiring significant travel in order to see.

With excellent weather predicted for the July 2 evening, expect the small parking lot to fill up early.

The event runs from 7-9 p.m. and is free to the public. However, due to restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Headlands staff will not be bringing telescopes out onto the viewing platform during the 2020 summer season. Your cooperation will help us to not only keep our staff and visitors safe, but will help us continue to keep the park open. It’s fairly common knowledge that the best place to see the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the northern lights is, well, somewhere North. Programs & Events Dark Sky Park Program Coordinator Call 231.427.1001 Welcome to the Headlands International Dark Sky Park! This post was brought to you by Mountain House. For the slightly more tech-savvy of solar phenomenon seekers, there’s an app available on both Google Play and the AppStore called Aurora Alerts, which allows you to have all the updated information right on your mobile device. Cost is $10 per person. In 2011, it was declared an International Dark Sky Park—a prestigious and labor-intensive designation that guarantees the Headlands will remain both dark and protected forever. Welcome to the Headlands International Dark Sky Park! RELATIVE MOTION with Johnathan Winckowski. Call (231) 427-1001 with any questions. To join us via Zoom, go to https://zoom.us/j/93194605323.

The event may also be viewed as a NASA live stream event. Observation is weather-permitting. There is no cost to come into the event center to watch the presentation, however, donations to the Headlands Dark Sky Park are always appreciated. Camping Closures in State Parks & National Parks, RV Camping Tips and Tricks for First-Timers, 9 Small Campers You Can Pull with Almost Any Car, Everything You Need to Know About the Dreaded Black Water Tank, Camping & COVID-19: What Campgrounds Are Open?

The peak transit time is around 10:20 a.m.

Star formations such as Scorpion, Sagittarius, and Lupus (the wolf) are often visible during the warmer months, followed by the meteor showers of the late summer and early fall, including the Perseids in late August, and the Draconids or Orionids in the month of October. © 2015 All Rights Reserved • Produced by Gaslight Media. Zoom Event Link:  Professor Sally Oey – “The Importance of Michigan Dark Skies” For our Cosmic Series, we will gather with our friends from the Northern Michigan Astronomy Club who will inform and entertain us on various astronomy topics.

Payment is due at time of reservation to guarantee your seat.

Aside from cloudy nights, The Headlands Dark Sky Park provides almost perfect viewing conditions year-round.

As space for the class is limited, pre-registration is required.

      +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
The only way to see this is with a properly filtered telescope, as it will be too small to see with just using solar eclipse glasses.

What makes this particular transit special is that Mercury will pass almost directly through the center of the sun.

Art event in Mackinaw City, MI by Headlands International Dark Sky Park and Creation Station & Right Brain Toys on Friday, March 6 2020 Rod Cortright of Northern Michigan Astronomy Club will be setting up a telescope with a solar filter on it for interested guests to view the transit and to answer questions. Binoculars will not be provided and guests will need to bring their own. Cost is $5 a person.

Image from The Dyrt camper Miranda Michelle O.

Due to practices implemented to prevent of the spread of COVID-19, Professor Sally Oey of the University of Michigan will now be offering a special presentation virtually at the Headlands Event Center on Friday, June 19.

Beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, our astronomy assistants will deliver a presentation about the Structure of the Solar System, followed by guided night sky observation with telescopes out on the viewing platform.

You can also visit Space Weather Live, where you can sign up for notifications to be received on an app, through Twitter, or via your desktop or browser of choice. This Michigan Park is One of the Best Places to Catch the Northern Lights, This post is brought to you by our backcountry cooking friends at Mountain House, whose. Johnathan is the Planetarium Coordinator for the Besser Museum and Planetarium in Alpena, Michigan. Cost to participate is $35 per person and includes all materials, step-by-step instructions and refreshments. Just make sure you subscribe to push notifications, so you can know exactly when to jump in your car and head to the park. For those looking for the best way to catch the elusive Auroras at Headlands Dark Sky Park, here are a few key tips that local experts: View of the Mackinac Bridge from Straits State Park / Image from The Dyrt camper Magy C. Because the northern lights are a natural phenomenon completely dependent on solar activity, it is impossible to predict with exactitude when and where they’ll show up.