Northern Lights Frequently Asked Questions

The aurora team will contact you between 3-5 p.m. on the afternoon of your tour with an aurora forecast and tour details. Read more about our forecasting calls in this blog post.

Our tour departures vary each night based on season, drive time to clear skies, and the timing of space weather during the evening. The departure times are typically between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Yes, your tour includes hotel pick up and drop off from centrally-located Fairbanks and Anchorage hotels.

Free parking is available at our office parking lot at 854 East 36th Ave. Anchorage, AK. Please use the alley entrance (the 36th Ave entrance is locked). It’s a gated lot, so your vehicle will be safe for the night. In Fairbanks, meet us at any of the hotels.

We will notify you of the estimated tour return time when we call with your aurora forecast. But, unfortunately, due to the variability of our tour locations, we cannot guarantee a precise tour return time. Please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate. If you have an early departing flight, please consider booking our Anchorage Private Aurora Tour or Fairbanks Private Northern Lights Tour.

Most nights we spend approximately three hours at a location. However, some nights our strategy determines we must drive longer distances to find clear skies. Therefore, we sometimes end up spending less time at a single location.

We provide photos and portraits of you under the night sky (hopefully with the aurora). You should receive your tour photos within five business days. We take great care in processing photographs to ensure they look fantastic.

The northern lights are an amazing natural phenomenon that are a result of conditions aligning perfectly to make them visible. Our aurora team’s mission is to do everything possible to take you to the most strategic location around the greater Anchorage and Fairbanks landscapes to see and photograph the aurora. However, ultimately, our success is up to Mother Nature. If we cannot produce photographic evidence of the aurora on your tour, you’ll get a complimentary “redo” tour at any time in the future, subject to availability.

Temperatures and conditions can and do vary depending on the season and location. During late August and September aurora chases, you may experience overnight temperatures in the 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit range, while winter temperature in Fairbanks may reach -40 degrees F on a tour.

Here are some suggestions: • Base Layers : We suggest Merino wool or synthetic (Polypropylene) base layers (long underwear), top and bottom; these will stay warm even when wet. • Mid-Layers : Over your base layers, wear a warm sweater and a medium-weight jacket. • Outer Layers : Over your mid-layers, we suggest a pair of insulated snow pants and a very warm winter jacket. • Foot Wear : Thick wool socks with a pair of tall, warm winter boots (rated -40 F or below). • Hand Wear : We recommend a pair of thin gloves or glove liners and a pair of mittens to fit over your thin gloves. • Head Gear : We recommend a warm hat and/ or a balaclava. • Face Gear : We recommend a warm balaclava and/or facemask.

While we do keep the heated vans running and offer cold weather gear packages for $25, for maximum enjoyment from your aurora tour, please be prepared to be comfortable outside in below-freezing temperatures for up to three hours. The best aurora viewing is outside! Check out our blog post on what to wear in Alaska.

Northern lights displays may last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, for for multiple hours. Every night is different and unique!

The northern lights can be precisely predicted only about 60-90 minutes in advance. This is due to the time it takes for the NOAA DSCOVR, ACE and SOHO satellites to communicate their observed data to us here on Earth. Any prediction beyond that short timeframe is only a forecast.

The aurora borealis is visible in many different shapes and colors. Some nights we may only see a dim green glow that may look white to the naked eye. Other nights bring arcs, bands, rays, and sheets of color to the sky. Sometimes the aurora will be strong and bright enough for us to see with our eyes, other nights, it may only be possible to view through a camera lens.

Yes! But maybe not the way you think it would. Please read our blog post on the Moon phase and northern lights.

The images that come out of modern-day DSLR cameras do not always match what you witness in real life. During low-level aurora displays, the camera may magnify colors compared to what our eyes see. During high-level displays, the camera may be unable to capture the details and movement that our human eye can detect. Please watch the following video to better understand: Beneath the Aurora Extras: Optics and the Aurora

The Kp-Index can best be understood as the aurora’s potential maximum angle in the sky. Based on our extensive field experience, this index is NOT an indicator of potential aurora strength or activity. We have found the most reliable statistics are the solar wind speed and the interplanetary magnetic field (Bz). The Kp-Index only quantifies disturbances in the horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field.

Although sometimes challenging, it is possible to take aurora photos with newer smartphone models. This is best done with a multiple-second exposure and a tripod for your phone. However, professional photos and portraits with the aurora are included on our tour. So you are welcome to “live in the moment” and leave the photography up to us to capture.

Yes! Our northern lights tour begin on August 21 in Anchorage and August 28 in Fairbanks. There is an advantage to chasing aurora in summer. Click here to read more about summer aurora chases!