Northern Lights - End of August

[natesfirewife]

Thanks Sonshiner for backing me up!

 

Misty

[ripleysmom]

Does this mean that if we cruise the Inside Passage, the Northern Lights would not normally be seen in August?

[Sonshiner]

It all basically depends what the level of solar activity is on a given day. We are now beginning to see an increase in seasonal solar activity. So, I'm hoping and praying that we'll get to see Auroras during our trip in late August.

 

Last August there was a phenomenal light show because of heightened solar activity. And yes, it even happened in the land of midnight sun. ;) Here's a few photos taken in Auroras in Alaska during those same solar storms.

 

The first was taken in Denali National Park on 8/6/03 using a Nikon D-100 (which is the same digital SLR that I use):

 

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/images2003/06aug03/Sakamoto1.jpg

 

 

The second was taken in Fairbanks on 8/18/03. I think that this one is especially cool because of the twilight sky and the fact that you can see the Big Dipper through the green of the Aurora. :D This was also the night that the solar storm was soooo strong that my friends in San Diego even got to see the Auroras there.

 

 

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/images2003/18aug03/Clay1.jpg

 

The third photo was also taken on 8/18/03 at Portage Lake:

 

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/images2003/18aug03_page3/Hall4.jpg

[Flintstone]

What incredible pictures!!!

 

Thank you for sharing them!!

 

Deb

[yellownovawife]

Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures! I hope I get that lucky!

[Sonshiner]

Ther's been some great light shows over the last few days. Here's a photo that someone took in Anchorage last Saturday.

 

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/images2004/25jul04_page4/Slagle1.jpg

 

The was a big solar flare kicked off yesterday/today. Aurora activity is at a 10 right now. With any luck some of this week's cruisers are getting a view!:)

[Diva Onboard]

We just returned July 25, 2004 from Alaska on the Serenade of the Seas.

 

We saw the aurora the night we left Juneau - about 1:00 AM. I will say that it was a weak display - although we could not tell the magnitude because it was cloudy and hazey. Our cabin mates called and woke us up. Glad they did. We were not alone - many guests were out on their balconies enjoying the display. Several different colors of green and orange/red pulsed through the sky. It was awesome.

 

According to POES - there is a very high probability for the next three or four days. You can find out more by searching on this site: northern-lights.no

 

Hope you have a chance to see it too.

[irislady]

At the Mt McKinley Princess Lodge last August we could sign up if we wanted to be called should the Northern Lights appear. Sometime in the middle of the night the phone rang. When I answered a man just said, "The lights are on. Head for the Lodge." Then he hung up. It took a few seconds for what he'd said to register. My husband and I threw on some clothes over our pjs and headed out. It was a really weird sight to see so many people walking outside in their pajamas and jackets, eyes peeled on the sky, all headed towards the lodge. We did get to see the lights, but the show wasn't very spectacular that night. Just some green swirls, mostly. We had actually had a much better "show" when the Northern Lights appeared in Louisville, KY many years ago. Still it was a thrill to be able to say we had seen them in Alaska. I hope you get to see them, too.

[tinydancer21]

Ther's been some great light shows over the last few days. Here's a photo that someone took in Anchorage last Saturday.

 

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/images2004/25jul04_page4/Slagle1.jpg

 

The was a big solar flare kicked off yesterday/today. Aurora activity is at a 10 right now. With any luck some of this week's cruisers are getting a view!:)

 

That's weird... it is not even that dark here at night yet?

[mpk]

How long do the solar events last for? Is it on the order of hours, days, or weeks??

[Gardyloo]

How long do the solar events last for? Is it on the order of hours, days, or weeks??

Yes.

 

FWIW, for those traveling south from ANC to the states on a red-eye flight, always try for a left side window seat - some of the best aurora displays I've ever seen were at night (including some dandy sightings last August) looking out to the NE as the plane heads south. One's neck can become a tad sore, but that's why they call it rubbernecking I suppose.

[tinydancer21]

How long do the solar events last for? Is it on the order of hours, days, or weeks??

 

The Northern Lights sometimes come out for a few minutes sometimes for a few hours, sometimes they are really bright sometimes faint.