Beyond the 45th Parallel - (The 45th Parallel) by Melissa F Kaelin (Paperback)

About the Book

Make your dream a reality, and catch the Aurora in your backyard! Now with added tools and techniques, this guide introduces beginners to the adventure of chasing the Northern Lights. Find out what it takes to catch this rare natural phenomenon in the mid-latitudes and beyond.

With over 10 years of experience chasing the Northern Lights, Melissa F. Kaelin describes how to catch the Aurora at latitudes where they are more elusive. She uses a warm, conversational tone to offer tried-and-true advice, encouragement, and a friendly reality check about the challenges Aurora Chasers face.

As Founder of the Michigan Aurora Chasers and Co-Founder of the Aurora Summit, Melissa finds inspiration in sharing the experience of the Aurora with others. Her goal is to help more people understand, catch, and celebrate the enchanting Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis.

Book Synopsis

Chase the Aurora in your own backyard! Find out what it takes to view this rare natural phenomenon beyond the 45th Parallel, whether you are chasing in the U.S. or mid-latitudes across the world. This guide caters to beginners with real advice for catching the Aurora beyond the 45th Parallel, which is a magical latitude where northern features cover the landscape in the western hemisphere. The advice is brought to you by the founder of the Michigan Aurora Chasers, a group of about 100,000 Aurora Chasers and climbing which was established in January 2021. Melissa F. Kaelin is a talented writer, speaker and community leader who has helped hundreds of people see the Northern Lights for the first time. The cover features outstanding Aurora photography captured in the mid-latitudes by Cover Artist Shannon Kivi and Michele Aucello.

The 2nd Edition in the 45th Parallel Series opens the art of Aurora Chasing to a broader audience, sharing tips, techniques and insight that will help chasers catch their first Aurora -- or more Aurora -- anywhere in the world. With seven brand new chapters, expanded terms and techniques, and three distinct tools for beginners, "Beyond the 45th Parallel" will show anyone the ropes of Aurora Chasing. The book includes a Digital Resource Guide, with updated links to space weather resources and other important tools for catching the Aurora when it's active. For the first time, Melissa also shares a personal account of chasing the Northern Lights with a group from the Michigan Aurora Chasers, with pointers on how to be successful. She also shines light on a few joys from her personal life, with a sneak preview of her fiction inspired by Aurora mythology.

The book that led to a year of invitations to give inspiring public speeches is now available in an expanded edition, and the Aurora Chaser and science communications writer behind the scenes is ready to help anyone on the chase. Good luck on the Aurora Chasing trail!

Review Quotes

Michele stumbled upon photography as a way to document student learning when she was teaching in Honolulu in the 90's, which led naturally to documenting her own kids' learning and their family adventures. Moving from Honolulu to her summer home in Michigan in 2017 prompted the formation of a bucket list, as she thought they would only live there full time for a year or two. Topping that list was catching the Northern Lights. She lives around the corner from Glen Haven, one of the best places to catch aurora in the area, which makes popping out to take photos easy at a moment's notice thanks to the Michigan Aurora Chasers. A week-long workshop with photographer Gabriel Biderman from National Parks at Night a few years ago sparked an intense interest in night photography and the decision to purchase a second camera and tripod, specifically to capture time lapses of aurora. Michele has captured aurora dozens of times and has seen STEVE twice for sure, possibly three or four times. The be-all and end-all was a trip to Lofoten, Norway to watch aurora unfold effortlessly and right overhead for hours. True story: while in Lofoten she taught the guide and the driver a thing or two about the Space Weather app after hearing Melissa F. Kaelin present!

About the Author

Melissa F. Kaelin is the founder of the Michigan Aurora Chasers and the co-founder of the Aurora Summit: Celebrating the Art, Culture, Science and Photography of the Aurora. She is a writer, speaker and stargazer who finds inspiration in the Northern Lights. A published journalist and science communications writer, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She is native to rural Ohio, and she spent her formative years with nonfiction and creative writing in Minnesota, where she lived for 11 years. With a love for the Great Lakes, she moved to Michigan in 2018.

In 2021, Melissa founded the Michigan Aurora Chasers, a group devoted to catching the Northern Lights that has grown to approximately 100,000 members and climbing. She has helped hundreds of people catch the Aurora for the first time, inspiring many others along the way. She is also the author of many books, short stories and poetry collections, and her articles and stories have been published in many newspapers, magazines and videos. For more information, visit KaelinArt.com.