4 Things You Can Do To Increase Your Chances of Seeing the Northern Lights

Picture this: you just PCS'd to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and you're bundled up in warm clothes, standing in the snow, watching the breathtaking aurora dance in the night sky. 

Lucky for you, there's a strong possibility you'll get to witness the Northern Lights during your time here in Alaska! It is truly a once in a lifetime experience and it's one of our most favorite things to do during the winter months! If you're new here or just starting to get into chasing the lights, there's a few things you should know!

When it comes to seeing the lights, you typically can't just go outside, look up and expect to see them, In fact, there's actually many factors that go into viewing the aurora!

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "Being able to see the aurora depends mainly on two factors, geomagnetic activity (the degree of disturbance of the earth's magnetic field at the time) and your geographic location." 

The first thing you'll need to do to increase your chance of seeing an aurora is to know the level of geomagnetic activity. For this, you'll need to check the index called Kp, which is a number 0 through 9. The higher the Kp index is, the better your chances are for seeing the lights. 

The second thing you should do is check the weather. If data is calling for a strong Kp index, you'll need clear skies above to actually see the aurora borealis. Check your local weather app and go outside, check the sky for yourself. 

The third thing you need to do is find a location away from local light pollution with open skies facing north. If you have light pollution from the city, you may not be able to see the aurora.

Finally, the fourth thing you should do is be patient. While professionals say the best time to see the northern lights is between 10 PM and 2 AM local time, the lights aren't as predictable as we wish they could be, and they can come and go frequently. 

Below we've linked some of our favorite websites and resources for aurora borealis data:

a) https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast

b) https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental

c) https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast

Additionally, we recommend downloading the Aurora app from your App Store and joining local JBER Northern Lights groups on Facebook!

Happy aurora chasing!