When I heard there was a good chance to see the aurora in mid-Michigan, I was so excited to photograph them and experience the Northern Lights!

My fiancé Jeff and I drove out to Fish Point State Wildlife Refuge, near Unionville, to a dock away from city lights.

The sunset was gorgeous. We arranged some cushions and blankets in the bed of his truck and settled down to wait for the lights.

One hour passed, the stars began to shine as the sky got darker. We kept looking north, hoping for some glimmer of color. I shot some frames of the starry night sky.

Two hours passed. There was a faint, faint glow on the northern horizon, but no real lights like we hoped. I kept checking NOAA's aurora predictions; north of us would be able to see the lights straight above them. Theoretically, we had the possibility of seeing them lower on the horizon.

After three and a half hours, we were dozing off and, it seemed, no closer to getting to see the aurora. We went home. 

As I was looking through the photos, however, I discovered something amazing. Those 15- and 30-second exposures, which can of course capture more than the naked eye can see, revealed that the aurora was in fact visible!

Aurora BorealisThe Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, as seen from Fish Point State Wildlife Area near Unionville, Mich., on June 24. © Danielle McGrew 2015