About
Aurora Borealis Notifications was founded by us, Amy Stratman and Kristie Stariha. In the winter of 2009-2010, we started a phone tree telling our friends that the aurora was out. This was not something new, aurora phone trees have been around Alaska for years. Little did we know we are not alone in our enthusiasm, and the list grew, so we went to onto Facebook to notify more people. We were the first aurora group and page on Facebook and we have inspired many other groups, with some leaving our group to start their own.
This is a network for Alaska residents and visitors to get real time notifications when the aurora borealis is visible in the sky. We also help spread the word from other areas around the world. In fact, group members from Minnesota and parts of Canada were becoming more plentiful than Alaskans! This service is powered by the human eye, and not by a computer or app. Although we love the science of space weather, we like to document and report the aurora season in an unscientific manner, simply meaning we just want to look at the sky. We just like making sure you don’t miss the lights! *hint: don’t be asleep! To enjoy the science by documenting, there are a few citizen science projects out there that will be glad to hear your report.
We watch the sky nightly from the first week of August through the end of April. Auroras may still be seen in parts of Alaska (and northern Canada) where it gets dark into May, but the time frame of dark sky is so small, if you want to see the aurora, you can just wait for the dark hour (literally one or two hours). Auroras are seen in lower latitudes year round (in the northern states and southern provinces of Canada), if the aurora storm is strong enough.
The more people reporting the aurora, the better, as to spread the word the aurora is out. We were the very first aurora reporting on social media. Many new websites and social media groups are collecting reports now, so the system we had is getting a bit watered down. We continue sharing the news, and with accuracy. Join us in the always free Facebook group or on Twitter.
This website does not notify in real time, but does give updates on shows you cannot miss, or information on how to see the aurora.
If you like chatting about the aurora and want more than seeing pictures on the Facebook Page, go to our always free Facebook Group to talk about what you see, your photos, camera settings, special events, and more.
For one on one help with your aurora adventure, whether it is planning a trip or how to watch the sky, please contact me via Buy Me a coffee. You can also book tours through this website to our partners tour companies…make sure you mention Amy or ABN.
*A special thank you to our wonderful social media admins Kristina, Kathy, Niki, Gary, Rich, Lindsay, Daniel, Robert, Misty, Nina, Shannon, and all the former admins too, Scott, Brittney, Monica, Samantha, Christian, Roger (Rest in Peace), Kevin, Marshall, Tony.
Thanks for visiting! Have a great aurora watching night!
Amy Stratman
North Pole, AK
