Northern lights

[reallyhooked]

What month can they be seen????

[sgutt86]

I've heard you can see them as early as late august. So I'm crossing all my fingers that I'll see them in Fairbanks (I get in on the 29th) But would also love some feedback from past cruisers. I am not expecting to see them much at all on the cruise, but possibly if the weather holds up in Fairbanks/Denali.

Edited June 5, 2014 by sgutt86

[AKStafford]

You need three things to see the Northern Lights:

1) Aurora Activity

2) Clear Skies

3) Dark Skies

 

1) Aurora Activity~ this is determined by solar activity. Completely random. I've set out on many a clear, dark night and seen nothing. This site here will give you a short range forcast: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

 

2) Clear Skies~ this is determined by the weather. Completely random. Well, not completely. Fairbanks tends to have more clear weather than other locations. But still, clouds happen. There's been many a night when the aurora activity has been screaming hot and here in Wasilla it's completely clouded over.

 

3) Dark Skies~ this you can have some control over. During May, June & July the sky doesn't seem to get fully dark, especially if you are as far north as Fairbanks. By mid to late August it starts getting dark enough. Then each day you are getting less and less light, which means more and more time that you might spot them.

Also with dark skies is getting away from other light sources (parking lot lights, street lights, house lights, headlights). So get out of town to where it's dark. Even a full moon can cause problems. A few years ago the lights were out and for a while the moon was behind a cloud. But then the clouds moved and the brightness of the moon washed out the lights.

[Northern Aurora]

In Fairbanks we periodically can see the auroras in mid to late August, but the best viewing times are really late September/early October to the end of March.

 

In my opinion the best website for predicting the aurora is that of the Geophysical Institute, which is the website mentioned by AKStafford.

[reallyhooked]

Thanks for all the infomation. We won't be far enough North on our next trip.

 

Joyce

[Shmoo here]

This is a real nice website for checking the aurora forecast:

 

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/Alaska/

[Cabunit]

The aurora is, in a sense, like bears - you can go to places and at times when there is a great chance of seeing them, but you can also just happen upon one.

 

We see the northern lights in Seattle on rare occasions and two years ago we saw them from a cruise ship in Queen Charlotte Sound. So even if you think you aren't North enough, keep your eyes open.

[donaldsc]

Basically, if you want to have a good chance of really seeing aurora, you have to make a special trip to Fairbanks during the winter (Jan - Mar) That it what I did. I flew to Fairbanks and then headed north to Chena Hot Springs whre I stayed for a week. I was really lucky and good good views every night.

 

That said, we did a small boat cruise to AK in late August one year. In the middle of the night, all of us were awakened and we went on deck to see the northern lights. They turned out all of the lights on the ship except for navigation lights so that we could see them better (can you imagine that on a big cruise ship). Very faint and nothing like Fairbanks but we did see them.

 

DON

Edited June 6, 2014 by donaldsc

[Budget Queen]

You need three things to see the Northern Lights:

1) Aurora Activity

2) Clear Skies

3) Dark Skies

 

1) Aurora Activity~ this is determined by solar activity. Completely random. I've set out on many a clear, dark night and seen nothing. This site here will give you a short range forcast: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

 

2) Clear Skies~ this is determined by the weather. Completely random. Well, not completely. Fairbanks tends to have more clear weather than other locations. But still, clouds happen. There's been many a night when the aurora activity has been screaming hot and here in Wasilla it's completely clouded over.

 

3) Dark Skies~ this you can have some control over. During May, June & July the sky doesn't seem to get fully dark, especially if you are as far north as Fairbanks. By mid to late August it starts getting dark enough. Then each day you are getting less and less light, which means more and more time that you might spot them.

Also with dark skies is getting away from other light sources (parking lot lights, street lights, house lights, headlights). So get out of town to where it's dark. Even a full moon can cause problems. A few years ago the lights were out and for a while the moon was behind a cloud. But then the clouds moved and the brightness of the moon washed out the lights.

 

I'll add a forth- TIME.

 

You need a lot of time. Expecting to see anything with a single day involved will have low chances. A week, increases the odds, more is always better.

 

I ALWAYS- daily check the prediction sites and want "active". Hardly worth the effort for less.

[Budget Queen]

Basically, if you want to have a good chance of really seeing aurora, you have to make a special trip to Fairbanks during the winter (Jan - Mar) That it what I did. I flew to Fairbanks and then headed north to Chena Hot Springs whre I stayed for a week. I was really lucky and good good views every night.

 

That said, we did a small boat cruise to AK in late August one year. In the middle of the night, all of us were awakened and we went on deck to see the northern lights. They turned out all of the lights on the ship except for navigation lights so that we could see them better (can you imagine that on a big cruise ship). Very faint and nothing like Fairbanks but we did see them.

 

DON

 

I agree, along with a lot of time. Twice I have gone to Fairbanks in March for 2 weeks each trip. March had the Ice Sculpting Championships going on, along with milder temps and 12 hours of daylight. :)

[mlkmnsgrl]

The aurora is, in a sense, like bears - you can go to places and at times when there is a great chance of seeing them, but you can also just happen upon one.

 

We see the northern lights in Seattle on rare occasions and two years ago we saw them from a cruise ship in Queen Charlotte Sound. So even if you think you aren't North enough, keep your eyes open.

 

 

I saw them once on a camping trip to Arches National Park in Southern Utah...they were absolutely crisp and until I realized what they were, I was seriously about to think aliens were real. Such a brilliant green. Oh how I wish I'd had the sense to run for my camera, although it was well worth savoring quietly. Sometimes the pictures burned in our memories are so much better than anything we capture on an SD card.