Some Info on Nothern Lights - Aurora Borealis
Some info on those that speculate the Aurora....
The aurora was named after the Roman goddess of dawn, and was long thought to be produced by sunlight reflected from polar snow and ice, or refracted light much like rainbows.
It also appears that the sun has an influence: auroras become brighter, more distinctive, and are spread over a larger area two days after intense solar activity. Two days is the time it takes the "solar wind" to arrive.
They are at their most dazzling from December to March when nights are longest and the sky darkest, can usually be seen even as far south as Juneau.
Undulating ribbons of light may shimmer in the sky for hours, like glowing, dancing curtains of green, yellow and orange or dark red, or magnificent veils with a full spectrum of colors, and with the altitude of its lower edge 60 to 70 miles above the earth.
Or the aurora may last 10-15 minutes, twisting and turning in patterns called "rayed bands", then whirling into a giant green corona in which rays appear to flare in all directions from a central point, and finally fade away.
The rarest aurora is the red aurora, like the one of February 11, 1958, which is still talked about today.
An Eskimo tale records that the northern lights are spirits playing ball in the sky with a walrus skull. Another legend, calls them the flaming torches carried by departed souls guiding travelers to the afterlife.
The scientific explanation is that the aurora is a physics phenomenon taking place 50 to 200 miles above the Earth. Solar winds flow across the Earth's upper atmosphere, hitting molecules of gas lighting them up much like a neon sign.
Best viewed: between Fairbanks and Barrow Alaska. Mayo and Faro, Yukon north of Whitehorse is also ideally situated for great viewing. However, because of logistics, it is a lot easier visiting (and viewing) from Fairbanks than sites further north and east.
Seasonal Cloudiness: should be taken into consideration which decreases from a maximum in mid-August to a minimum in winter. However, with clearer skies comes extremely cold temperatures (-30°F to -50°F).
The aurora is most frequent: during the equinoxes (22 September, 22 March). However, it can be seen to some extent almost every night at high latitudes (north of 60°N).
The 11-year sunspot cycle (which was at maximum in 2000-2001) determines the magnitude of each display. BTW..there are also Souther Lights
My favorite time to view the aurora is in late August when a soft twilight is still visible all night, the temperatures are pleasant, and the bugs are minimal (however, cloud cover could be a major problem).
Enjoy...if you're lucky enought to see them!
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