Looking great for auroras Sat night and Sun night
Have you seen the aurora forecast? Kp 5 tonight and Kp 6 Sunday night. The solar wind speeds are above 500. The air is crisp and excitement is in the air. No clouds tonight in Fairbanks!!! Anchorage may have wait for the clouds to part. Auroras are possible in the entire state of Alaska! (I am writing this pretty late, and the auroras have started at 8:45pm Alaska time).
Poor weather in Fairbanks and Anchorage Alaska have blocked our views of the auroras in the past few days but if you looked very closely and patiently, some green was seen. Norway has been clear and the photos coming out of those locations have been amazing!
The aurora danced all night last night on Senja ?
Posted by Night Lights Films on Saturday, September 26, 2020
A fine example of aurora behind the clouds, Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo credit: Kristen Hansen
If you are traveling to see the aurora and need help or advice, or want to chase the aurora yourself without a tour guide, then join my Facebook group Aurora Tonight by ABN. If you are looking for a tour guide, I know several and can suggest them based on what you are looking for or how much you want to spend. All the guides I suggest I have met in person.
It has been rough this year for many businesses, and tourism was hit hard. When the pandemic was realized in March, that cut off the end of the aurora season. Everything just stopped. The aurora tour guides ended weeks earlier than planned. This season (beginning August) has been slow going. There are some tourists, but not as many as we have seen before. If you are local, or on a work trip, or are here as a visitor, consider making a purchase, booking a bnb, or taking a tour with a small aurora business. Remember, there are many wonderful businesses out there than just the heavy advertisers. Thanks all, have fun tonight and tomorrow. See you out there. ~Amy
So, I have always thought the best time to see the Northern Lights was in the middle of the winter with the cold air and more darkness. But it seems this year the best time has been through the summer. Do the times for viewing change each year depending on earth tilt or other circumstances? I would be up there, if we didn’t have this dang Covid going on. But am planning to come this next Jan or Feb if Covid will allow me to travel to Alaska. Do you expect the Aurora’s will be active during that time in 2021?
The cold air from earth has nothing to do with the aurora. Auroras are charged particles from the sun. This happens year round. The aurora oval shifts as the earth rotates and as seasons change. Auroras are seen almost every night in Fairbanks, sometimes big and bright, and sometimes weak.