Alaska’s aurora is magical. People travel here from all over the world hoping to see the ribbons of green and purple dancing overhead — and plenty of them miss the show. I’m a lifelong Alaskan, and I still don’t see the northern lights as often as I’d like.
So for our new series Alaska Survival Kit, I talked with Alaskans who spend a lot of time thinking about — and waiting for — the aurora. Here are four tips they say can improve your chances of seeing it.
1. Check the aurora forecast
That’s the first tip from Ned Rozell, who has lived in the Interior for more than four decades and has spotted the aurora many times. One moment still stands out: walking back to camp with a friend after harvesting a caribou.
“The last load was the antlers, and he had them on his pack,” Rozell said. “I remember him walking along in front of me with antlers silhouetted in the aurora light.”
Rozell is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He said there’s a lot of science behind the aurora, but one tool makes it simple: the aurora forecast.
“It's just a simple graphic showing the state of Alaska and a band of green aurora,” he said. “It’s the most popular part of our website and it has been for many years.”
The tool shows where the aurora is most likely to be visible and offers a 27-day outlook, so you can plan your aurora outing ahead of time. There’s also live cameras, including one at the Poker Flat Research Range, where researchers launched rockets last spring to learn more about how the aurora affects our atmosphere.
Checking this forecast is part of my daily routine. (If you listen to Morning Edition on Alaska Public Media, you’ve probably heard me mention it at some point.)
Just remember: The forecast is just part of the puzzle. Dark, clear skies are equally important. Also, give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness by avoiding bright lights, including your phone.
2. Be prepared to stay outside longer than you want
Rozell isn’t an aurora hunter. He usually just sees them spontaneously. But sometimes, he said he’ll sleep outside — for fun — and tends to have good luck catching the light show.
“I will bring like 20-below [sleeping] bag, and a nice inflatable pad and a bivy sack,” Rozell said. “That's like my favorite, because you're warm in your bag. It's awesome.”
Another perk, he said, is the lack of mosquitoes.
As someone who hates bugs and is still learning to love the cold, I’d never tell you to sleep outside in the winter — that sounds miserable. But you have to be willing to stay outside for a while. Longer than you probably want to.
I tend to be impatient when it comes to looking for the aurora. I gave it a shot on a recent Wednesday and was back inside within five minutes. Needless to say, I didn’t see anything.
I told Carl Johnson with Alaska Photo Treks about my short-lived venture. He laughed and told me aurora chasing requires more time than a couple minutes.
“There are a lot of variables that impact when the aurora actually occurs,” Johnson said. “If you're going to go out aurora chasing and make an earnest effort of it, you have to be ready to be out, at least in the Anchorage area, from at least 11 p.m. to 4 a.m..”
If you’re not prepared to trade your night’s sleep for the aurora, the best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight.
3. Gear up and be patient
In Anchorage, popular aurora viewing spots include Point Woronzof near the airport and Beluga Point off the Seward Highway. Those places tend to get packed pretty quickly on a clear night with a good aurora forecast.
Johnson said before you head out, you’ll want to layer up and wear the right gear so you can get away from cars and groups of people. When you do that, he said, there are other advantages.
“Give yourself a little bit of time and dress appropriately, and you can get out and enjoy the aurora all to yourself, even from areas that are otherwise pretty popular and sometimes crowded,” he said.
Johnson said aurora chasing involves a lot of sitting, waiting and hoping.
He wears a parka and thermal layers, along with insulated gloves and boots. To pass the time, he’ll bring an iPad loaded with movies, take short naps or take photos of the stars.
4. If you don’t see the aurora, try using a camera
If you step outside on a clear night with a good aurora forecast and see… nothing, at least snap a quick photo of the sky.
Cameras can reveal an aurora that’s too dim for the naked eye to see, and often capture more vibrant lights than what you see in person. If you don’t have a fancy camera, the one on your smartphone works just fine.
Being a nature photographer has changed the way Johnson views the aurora.
“It gives me a different way of experiencing the world,” he said. “It allows me to kind of slow down and connect with the natural world in a way through the camera.”
If you want to start photographing the aurora, Johnson suggests reading some blogs about the best camera settings. Here’s his 8 tips.
This story is part of a new, ongoing series at Alaska Public Media called Alaska Survival Kit, your guide to making the most out of life in the 49th state.
We want to hear from you: What other topics should our team tackle? Email news@alaskapublic.org or fill out the form below.
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