Northern Lights alerts · Alerts in Northern Lights

Alerts in Northern Lights

If you have the luxury of being able to travel into aurora-viewing territory on short notice, you can improve your chances of seeing something by being aware of "space weather," the things going on beyond the earth's atmosphere as a result of solar activity. A good site for this information is operated by the (US) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, precisely for the purpose of keeping up on space weather. (The commercial site presents much of the same information in digested, more accessible form.) The University of Alaska Fairbanks maintains an Aurora Alert website at . If a major solar storm develops that is forecast to have a good chance of producing Northern (and Southern) Lights, your time to respond will be measured in hours to a few days, rather than either minutes or weeks. The forecasts will usually include some indication of how far from the magnetic poles the activity is expected to extend. For purposes of travel planning, it's a good idea to plan conservatively and go to a locale somewhat closer to the pole than the maximum extent of the aurora; things don't always work out as forecast, and the Lights may be relatively weak and/or confined to the northern horizon if you're at the southern edge of the activity, either limitation possibly creating difficulties for you in viewing owing to light pollution.

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Northern Lights

Understanding the lights better in Northern Lights
Where in Northern Lights
When in Northern Lights
Prepare in Northern Lights
Alerts in Northern Lights
Into the wilds in Northern Lights
Photography in Northern Lights
Observing sites in Northern Lights
Northern Lights travel safety advice
Okay, so how about the Southern Lights? in Northern Lights

Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Northern Lights - updated Apr 2024

SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Northern Lights hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!

>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<

WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020

Northern Lights Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

Alerts in Northern Lights