COPPER HARBOR, MI – Stargazers have an easy and safe way to wander the nighttime landscape of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

This winter, glowing purple lights will guide visitors along the trails of the Keweenaw Dark Sky Parkheadquartered at Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, 14252 US 41 in Copper Harbor.

These crimson trails lead to prime sky-viewing areas, according to Visit Keweenaw.

“You’ll be able to see the arc of the Milky Way overhead and constellations like Orion become sharper as your eyes adjust – and perhaps the Northern Lights,” Visit Keweenaw said in a statement press. “With longer, darker nights ahead of winter, your chances of seeing aurora increase every day.”

Using solar and motion activated energy red lights helps visitors stay on the path and continue to see in the dark; red light does not burn rhodopsin, allowing our eyes to adapt and see in the dark.

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Lighted trails guide stargazers to four viewing areas in the Dark Sky Park.

“You can sit back and enjoy the spectacle of the universe,” the release said.

The lights are made by Professor Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti of the University of Michigan, founder of APT Solar Solutions.

“Our mission at APT Solar Solutions is to bring clean electricity to every corner of the universe,” said Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, founder and CEO. “We partnered with Keweenaw Mountain Lodge to test our solar lights, further supporting their dark sky initiatives. »

Crimson solar lights were installed along the lodge’s wooded trails in 2023 after the dark sky park was recognized in 2022.

“It’s a place where reality meets wonder after sunset, drawing you into a realm where nature seems supernatural and you can live out your dark-sky dreams,” the release said.