anyone here residing in alaska, currently or in the past?

[Grapesoda]

like to gawk the northern lights... need some info pls..

[Wilsy]

I have seen them twice they are amazing. Not as vivid as you see in the pics and Videos but still spectacular








These were taken in Finland this January

[Grapesoda]

I kinda wanted to stay in the states because I don't want to hassel with a passport

[Wilsy]

You can see them in Alaska too i was just showing you the pics lol.. You need to be somewhere where there is no unnatural light ie streetlamps etc.. and it needs to be a real clear night.. Have a look at Frozen Planet by David Attenbourgh and you see them in the program that was filmed in Alaska i believe

[TheSquealer]

This would be impossible to plan

[mikesouth]

Originally Posted by TheSquealer

This would be impossible to plan

Not true The northern (and southern) lights happen when solar winds interact with the earths magnetic fields, ionizing the atoms in the thermosphere.

so there are a few rules of thumb....first you need solar activity in the form of solar flares...like the big ones we had last week, second they will have to hit the area (these are actually fairly predictable) but usually not with a lot of notice, think a few days at most.

the stronger the solar activity and the more direct the hit the more spectacular the light show. The Northern lights have been seen as far south as Washington DC in periods of unusually high solar activity.

2012 and the first part of 2013 are peak solar activity years so this is a good year to think about it, as for alaska I'd go above the arctic circle in late fall or winter time frame (remember this area in the summer can have 24 hrs of daylight.)

Think Point Barrow in Nov/Dec if the solar winds cooperate.

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by mikesouth

Not true The northern (and southern) lights happen when solar winds interact with the earths magnetic fields, ionizing the atoms in the thermosphere.

so there are a few rules of thumb....first you need solar activity in the form of solar flares...like the big ones we had last week, second they will have to hit the area (these are actually fairly predictable) but usually not with a lot of notice, think a few days at most.

the stronger the solar activity and the more direct the hit the more spectacular the light show. The Northern lights have been seen as far south as Washington DC in periods of unusually high solar activity.

2012 and the first part of 2013 are peak solar activity years so this is a good year to think about it, as for alaska I'd go above the arctic circle in late fall or winter time frame (remember this area in the summer can have 24 hrs of daylight.)

Think Point Barrow in Nov/Dec if the solar winds cooperate.

thank you Mike

[mikesouth]

Originally Posted by bm bradley

thank you Mike

No worries but it really isnt necessary to go above the arctic circle as it turns out googling the topic can give you some fairly good info on when and where to go...this is a good year to consider it...I saw them once as a kid, my uncle lived in alaska and I was visiting. Its really eerie but cool.

as was earlier noted avoid lights, go to an area with no artificial lighting (theres plenty) and if you are trying to photo use a very high iso. the newer DSLRs would be ideal

[TheSquealer]

Originally Posted by mikesouth

Not true The northern (and southern) lights happen when solar winds interact with the earths magnetic fields, ionizing the atoms in the thermosphere.

so there are a few rules of thumb....first you need solar activity in the form of solar flares...like the big ones we had last week, second they will have to hit the area (these are actually fairly predictable) but usually not with a lot of notice, think a few days at most.

the stronger the solar activity and the more direct the hit the more spectacular the light show. The Northern lights have been seen as far south as Washington DC in periods of unusually high solar activity.

2012 and the first part of 2013 are peak solar activity years so this is a good year to think about it, as for alaska I'd go above the arctic circle in late fall or winter time frame (remember this area in the summer can have 24 hrs of daylight.)

Think Point Barrow in Nov/Dec if the solar winds cooperate.

I was born and raised in Alaska. This would be like planning to see a tornado. How do I know?.... I was born and raised in Alaska. You can't just plan to see the northern lights because conditions have to be perfect - temperature, clear sky, solar activity etc etc etc.

Keep Googling.

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by TheSquealer

I was born and raised in Alaska. This would be like planning to see a tornado. How do I know?.... I was born and raised in Alaska. You can't just plan to see the northern lights because conditions have to be perfect - temperature, clear sky, solar activity etc etc etc.

Keep Googling.

better chance up there than in lala...

[V_RocKs]

Michigan...

[TheSquealer]

Originally Posted by bm bradley

better chance up there than in lala...

My point was that its not an everyday occurrence that you can plan a trip around. Even if you happened to get super lucky in the dead of winter to have everything work in your favor ... its not like you're going to see what you see in pics. Most often its very faint to the point you're not sure if you're seeing anything or not and rarely with any color other than green.

Additionally, it would be a horrible trip to fly to the middle of nowhere in Alaska (where you have a high probability of being weathered in) when you can just as easily do it in Sweden or Finland or Russia or Norway or wherever and actually have a real life experience that won't be disappointing no matter what happens.

BTW... You also have a better chance of running into a Koala Bear in Melbourne than you do in LA... that doesn't mean its likely to happen ;)

[mikesouth]

You can plan a 3 day trip and have an 80% chance of catching a display stay a week and its about a sure thing during certain dates

http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/ak/a/nlights.htm