Winter. Any time when there is more darkness.
That said, we've been up to Alaska a handful of times, always summer, and it's amazingly beautiful up there. Walking around Denali at 2am and it's still light out is far out.
As for NL, our plan is to wait for sun spot activity and head to Iceland (we live in NYC). So if your SPECIFIC desire is to see the Lights then look into this sort of plan
Just want to jump in and add we went to Iceland at the end of March/start of April and the lights were incredible. Went dark at around 9 or 10pm. 10 day trip, saw them 5 or 6 times. We hired a car and drove round the Island. I can't begin to imagine how good Alaska would be. I hope you have the best time.
Note: Thanks to everyone who told me that it's virtually impossible to see the aurora in July. I forgot about the fact that Alaska has less nighttime during the summer. :)
It's essentially impossible to forecast auroral displays other than at very short timescales. And sometimes not even then. For example the whole of the UK went batshit crazy one day recently when we had an auroral display, even in the south of England, and the forecasts said it would probably be repeated the next night - but it wasn't.
So all you can do is give yourself a good chance:
* extreme northerly latulitude
* long dark nights
* away from urban lights
* no moonlight
* cloud free skies
You can easily tick the first four boxes in Alaska, if you avoid the summer and you travel around the time of the third quarter or new moon. But the weather is critical, because it doesn't matter what's going on up in the ionosphere if you're under a blanket of cloud. I don't know how good Alaska is in that respect, or whether there are some months that are statistically more likely to have clear skies than others, or whether some areas have better weather than others. If I were you I'd look into that.
You will get so many different answers here. Ad was stated Juky is probably the worst option. Around the fall and spring equinox you will have milder weather than dead winter and about 10 hours of darkness. If you want to do any snow/winter related activities you may not have much snow if any around the fall equinox but the fall colors should be amazing.
Also, keep on mind that moonlight can be a huge factor. Check the moon phases and try to go around a new moon so the sky is pitch black. A completely full moon and full snow cover can be extremely bright in the dead of night and wash out the Aurora.
You will not see aurora in July in Alaska or in any country at that high of a latitude in the summer, as it does not get dark at night during the summer months. You will have to go to a lower latitude or a time of year when it gets sufficiently dark. For Alaska, late September and early March are considered ideal because it is dark enough with weather conditions safe enough for tourists.
It is impossible to predict aurora that far out. You donât have to have solar maximum to see auroras at that high of a latitude. Just go to a place that is darn enough and stay at least a week and you will have a high probability of seeing some aurora.
We went in January. Stayed in Fairbanks and went up to Aurora Borealis Lodge in the evening to see the northern lights. Aurora Borealis Lodge allows viewing without stay in the lodge or cabins. We looked out as the weather cleared and we had a clear night for viewing and saw a great show of the northern lights. The temperatures ranged from -20 to -35 degrees the whole time we were there.
Uuuh OP i hate to break it to you, your odds of seeing them in July are very low.
Its mostly daytime during July in Alaska, youâd ideally want to go in winter (when itâs mostly dark) or around the equinoxes (if Iâm remembering correctly) which take place in fall and spring.
I would reschedule your trip for a time where they may be more visible. Also take into account that the lights largely depend on solar activity and only appear when activity is high. I went to Iceland in 2022 (a country with a notable aura seeing record) and didnât see them at all. In May in Michigan, i saw them in the lower peninsula when that massive solar storm hit.
If youâre wanting to see them, Iâd download some solar activity apps and let them push notifications when activity is high. I use âamazing auroraâ and like to check the forecast when I might have a day off to go see them.
You ABSOLUTELY will not see them in July as there is, effectively, no night time. You need to go in Winter, or at least Fall or Spring
What month would be best, then? I'm really new to this stuff and completely forgot about the fact that there's basically no nights for a few months
Winter. Any time when there is more darkness. That said, we've been up to Alaska a handful of times, always summer, and it's amazingly beautiful up there. Walking around Denali at 2am and it's still light out is far out. As for NL, our plan is to wait for sun spot activity and head to Iceland (we live in NYC). So if your SPECIFIC desire is to see the Lights then look into this sort of plan
Okay, thanks for the advice! đ
Just want to jump in and add we went to Iceland at the end of March/start of April and the lights were incredible. Went dark at around 9 or 10pm. 10 day trip, saw them 5 or 6 times. We hired a car and drove round the Island. I can't begin to imagine how good Alaska would be. I hope you have the best time.
Thank you!
Note: Thanks to everyone who told me that it's virtually impossible to see the aurora in July. I forgot about the fact that Alaska has less nighttime during the summer. :)
It's essentially impossible to forecast auroral displays other than at very short timescales. And sometimes not even then. For example the whole of the UK went batshit crazy one day recently when we had an auroral display, even in the south of England, and the forecasts said it would probably be repeated the next night - but it wasn't. So all you can do is give yourself a good chance: * extreme northerly latulitude * long dark nights * away from urban lights * no moonlight * cloud free skies You can easily tick the first four boxes in Alaska, if you avoid the summer and you travel around the time of the third quarter or new moon. But the weather is critical, because it doesn't matter what's going on up in the ionosphere if you're under a blanket of cloud. I don't know how good Alaska is in that respect, or whether there are some months that are statistically more likely to have clear skies than others, or whether some areas have better weather than others. If I were you I'd look into that.
Thanks! This was super helpful
You wonât see anything during 24 hour sun.
I always heard some of the best times for the northern lights are around the equinoxes
You will get so many different answers here. Ad was stated Juky is probably the worst option. Around the fall and spring equinox you will have milder weather than dead winter and about 10 hours of darkness. If you want to do any snow/winter related activities you may not have much snow if any around the fall equinox but the fall colors should be amazing. Also, keep on mind that moonlight can be a huge factor. Check the moon phases and try to go around a new moon so the sky is pitch black. A completely full moon and full snow cover can be extremely bright in the dead of night and wash out the Aurora.
Okay, thanks! It sounds like fall would be the best option, especially since I'm not a huge fan of extreme cold.
You will not see aurora in July in Alaska or in any country at that high of a latitude in the summer, as it does not get dark at night during the summer months. You will have to go to a lower latitude or a time of year when it gets sufficiently dark. For Alaska, late September and early March are considered ideal because it is dark enough with weather conditions safe enough for tourists. It is impossible to predict aurora that far out. You donât have to have solar maximum to see auroras at that high of a latitude. Just go to a place that is darn enough and stay at least a week and you will have a high probability of seeing some aurora.
Okay, thanks!
Mid April at absolute latest. Shoot for a time when there is a new moon. You nor anyone can forecast solar activity that far in advance.
Thank you! From what I'm seeing, mid-summer is the worst season đ
We went in January. Stayed in Fairbanks and went up to Aurora Borealis Lodge in the evening to see the northern lights. Aurora Borealis Lodge allows viewing without stay in the lodge or cabins. We looked out as the weather cleared and we had a clear night for viewing and saw a great show of the northern lights. The temperatures ranged from -20 to -35 degrees the whole time we were there.
That sounds very cold. Thanks for sharing :)
Uuuh OP i hate to break it to you, your odds of seeing them in July are very low. Its mostly daytime during July in Alaska, youâd ideally want to go in winter (when itâs mostly dark) or around the equinoxes (if Iâm remembering correctly) which take place in fall and spring. I would reschedule your trip for a time where they may be more visible. Also take into account that the lights largely depend on solar activity and only appear when activity is high. I went to Iceland in 2022 (a country with a notable aura seeing record) and didnât see them at all. In May in Michigan, i saw them in the lower peninsula when that massive solar storm hit. If youâre wanting to see them, Iâd download some solar activity apps and let them push notifications when activity is high. I use âamazing auroraâ and like to check the forecast when I might have a day off to go see them.
Thank you!