Alaska Media Center What's New
Recent solar activity has proven to be a boon to aurora watchers in Alaska. In this recent photo, the northern lights dance over Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North American located some 200 miles south of Fairbanks, Alaska in Denali National Park. Fairbanks is one of the best places on earth to see the northern lights because of its position on the globe.
More than 250,000 people visit Alaska between October and April, and northern lights viewing is always tops the list of winter activities. This year, forecasters at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute say Aurora activity should be strong.
Northern lights are caused by solar flares that ionize particles in the upper atmosphere. The charged particles are drawn through space to the magnetic north (and south) poles, where they travel down the poles like beads on a wire. When the particles hit the earth’s atmosphere, ribbons of purple, blue, red and green weave together, turning the winter sky into a celestial kaleidoscope.
You can check out the aurora forecast at www.gi.alaska.edu/cgi-bin/predict.cgi or learn more by viewing the Alaska media center’s Writer’s Workshop Winter Press Kit. Winter vacation information can be found at WinterinAlaska.com
