Aurora Borealis; come see the light show!

Northern Lights in Alaska

Alaska is known for big outdoors and lots of adventures during summer times. People come from all over the lower 49 states and world over to see Denali, the highest mountain in North America, experience its grandeur and to see wild life in the famous Denali
National Park, one of the top visited destinations in Alaska.

Alaskan summer is known for long day light times because of Alaska’s location in northern latitude. It’s precisely because of such location; Alaska is the perfect place to see Aurora borealis, also known as Northern Lights. Northern Lights are best seen during dark cold nights; hence during winter time in Alaska one can truly witness the magic in the sky. Thus it’s a general knowledge that one can see northern lights in Alaska during winter time. That is true; however, we can also see northern lights in Alaska during summer nights.

By the month of August, it starts getting dark during night. Typically in the first week of August the day light time starts from 5:30 AM till 10:30 PM. The
best time to observe aurora is near local midnight, when the most active forms often occur. More precisely, the time to shoot for is an hour or two prior to
local geomagnetic midnight. If you are a serious aurora watcher, dress warmly and plan to spend the night from about 9 P.M. to 3 A.M. watching for aurora
action.

Where you stay is not as important as arranging for transportation outside town to avoid city lights, and to acquire a clear view of the northern horizon. On August 3, 2010, there is going to be a moderate aurora activity followed by August 4 and 5 with active aurora activity, and based on University of Alaska Fairbanks Geological Institute, weather permitting, active aurora displays will be visible overhead from Barrow to Anchorage and Juneau, and visible low on
the horizon from King Salmon and Prince Rupert.

So go out and enjoy the splendor of our universe!