Northern Lights

[missouri_dave]

Not sure if this is the right heading to post this under but here goes. I'm fascinated with the northern lights (aurora borealis). I've only seen them once because I live in the deep south. The one time I saw them was in northern Iowa right on the Minnesota line. Having never seen them I was in awe and actually had to ask what they were. I've since found out it was only because of extremely high whatever causes them that the lights were visible that night. My question is, is there anywhere in the lower 48 where the northern lights ARE regularly seen and is it more common at certain times of the year?

[doxiemom11]

Lived in the central, lower peninsula of MI for 55 years. The northern lights may have been visible at times while I was a child, but if so, my parents went to bed to early to ever know. As an adult in my late 30's, my boyfriend ( hubby now) asked me if I wanted to head out of town to see them as it was predicted they would be visible. I had never heard of them. He took me outside the city of Grand Rapids where it was dark and I saw them for the 1st and only time. Luckily , that one time there were dancing moving red and green lights. I was in awe. I hope I get to experience them again sometime.

[Busskipper]

dapperdan wrote:
I agree, it would be difficult to spot an aurora in the lower 48. Not impossible though but conditions would have to be near "perfect". Heading further north will definitely improve your odds. I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Fairbanks twice, first time was in March of 2013 with my wife and the second was March of 2015 with my SIL. We saw the aurora EVERY night we were up there! Viewing the northern lights had been on my bucket list for a good long time! WORTH the trip!



It's usually a tad "chilly" in Fairbanks in March but you can't beat the photo ops. :B



This pic was taken out by China Hot Springs 2015.

Dan

Beautiful - your second one was similar to what we saw in Wyoming. They just danced for and Hour then disappeared.

[Busskipper]

profdant139 wrote:
Busskipper, don't feel bad about not waking the kids -- we were in the San Juan Islands (Washington state) and saw the aurora one night -- got the kids out of bed -- could not wake them for more than a moment at a time, and they remembered nothing the next morning! This was 30 years ago.

The aurora looked like greenish searchlights on the northern horizon.

Someday, a trip to the Yukon . . . .

Oh the stories we could share - Driving the younger one out to Cali to spend the summer internship with his older brother in LA - Stopped at the North Rim on June the 6th for a 6 am Snow Storm and he took a couple hundred pictures before he asked how much film I had put in the Camera - Snow was melting away before he realized HE had not loaded the Camera!!!!!!!!!!! Still have those photos in My Minds Eye as none made it onto the Film.

Oh the fun we had.

:S

:B

[dapperdan]

I agree, it would be difficult to spot an aurora in the lower 48. Not impossible though but conditions would have to be near "perfect". Heading further north will definitely improve your odds. I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Fairbanks twice, first time was in March of 2013 with my wife and the second was March of 2015 with my SIL. We saw the aurora EVERY night we were up there! Viewing the northern lights had been on my bucket list for a good long time! WORTH the trip!



It's usually a tad "chilly" in Fairbanks in March but you can't beat the photo ops. :B



This pic was taken out by China Hot Springs 2015.

Dan

[fanrgs]

I have seen them from Anchorage in October-November, but having to be at work at 7:00 am, didn't have the luxury of getting out lawn chairs and having a beer! Like others have said, these were primarily just green dancing curtains, not the full color kind.

Saw the colored ones once when I happened to be in Anchorage for meetings the same weekend that the Iditarod started on a downtown street. Because the race is near the spring equinox, the lights are often visible during that week. So, the closest thing you might have to a "sure bet" would be to take a trip to Alaska to watch the Iditarod.

[profdant139]

Busskipper, don't feel bad about not waking the kids -- we were in the San Juan Islands (Washington state) and saw the aurora one night -- got the kids out of bed -- could not wake them for more than a moment at a time, and they remembered nothing the next morning! This was 30 years ago.

The aurora looked like greenish searchlights on the northern horizon.

Someday, a trip to the Yukon . . . .

[Busskipper]

missouri dave wrote:
Not sure if this is the right heading to post this under but here goes.
I'm fascinated with the northern lights (aurora borealis). I've only seen them once because
I live in the deep south.
The one time I saw them was in northern Iowa right on the Minnesota line.
Having never seen them I was in awe and actually had to ask what they were.
I've since found out it was only because of extremely high whatever causes them that the lights were visible that night.
My question is, is there anywhere in the lower 48 where the northern lights
ARE regularly seen and is it more common at certain times of the year?

LUCK is what is needed - We saw them Once 30 years ago as we were leaving Yellowstone - started to try and leave early but seems as if we just could not get away until late that night - being young and foolish we headed out over the Bighorns and at 2 in the AM as we got to the top heading East there they were - OMG moment - Unbelievable - we stopped and just watched for an hour or so before continuing down the mountain.

Did not wake the kids (7 and 9 at the time - 40 and 42 now :)) and they have never forgiven us - No Pictures - have looked often never been that LUCKY again.

Lower 48 is just Luck.

JMHO,

[drsteve]

When I lived in Michigan's upper peninsula during the 70s, when solar activity was strong, they were a regular sight in the winter. Sometimes just a subdued green glow in the northern sky, other times a shimmering, dancing four color display that filled half the sky.

[ppine]

I have seen them several times from the Northern Cascades in Washington. This was in summer and they were mostly green. Once from northern Minnesotta on the Ontario border in the Boundary Waters.

In Alaska and the Yukon I have seen them plenty of times. The best was up north of Fairbanks. By September the days are not as long. I got up to take a leak and the lights were in full display. I woke up a friend of mine. We got out the lawn chairs and had a couple of beers. We watched them for about 3 hours.

I asked some of the local people up there what they like to do in winter. They like to "build sweat lodges and have Northern Lights parties."

[neschultz]

Here’s the url for the Allsky camera that sees Auroras at the Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska. Scientists often launch experiments on Sounding Rockets from there during Auroras.

[bukhrn]

I've seen them while fishing one spring night in northern NY many years ago. I'm sure you can see them from a lot of the northern states, but probably not with any regularity.

[DrewE]

It's at best a fairly uncommon sight in the lower 48. If you get up further north it becomes far more likely that you'll see them. Fairbanks, AK or Whitehorse, YT are good destinations for catching them (during the winter, not so much during the summer due to the lack of night).

Auroral activity tends to be greatest around the equinoxes, but other factors are at least as important. You need a clear, cloudless night. Winter months are better than summer months because of the length of the nights vs. days. The level of recent solar storm activity and related solar phenomena greatly affects the aurora, of course, but is hard or impossible to predict beyond the overall 11 year solar cycles.

[GordonThree]

missouri dave wrote:
Not sure if this is the right heading to post this under but here goes. I'm fascinated with the northern lights (aurora borealis). I've only seen them once because I live in the deep south. The one time I saw them was in northern Iowa right on the Minnesota line. Having never seen them I was in awe and actually had to ask what they were. I've since found out it was only because of extremely high whatever causes them that the lights were visible that night. My question is, is there anywhere in the lower 48 where the northern lights ARE regularly seen and is it more common at certain times of the year?

There is nowhere in the lower 48 to see them "regularly." Also we are well into solar minimum right now. The output of charged particles from the Sun is very low right now, these particles produce the most vibrant displays. There's lessor displays when a solar flare throws a bunch of radiation our way as well.

Arctic and Antarctic regions can see them more regularly but it's still not a guarantee.

Check these out for more info, you can sign up for alerts for your area as well...

http://spaceweather.com/

https://services.swpc.noaa.gov/images/aurora-forecast-northern-hemisphere.jpg

The NOAA link, pretty much any green halo means you won't see anything, yellow and red, a better chance.

[ScottG]

I saw them at Sun Mountain resort (hotel) in Eastern Washington many years ago. The sky was clear and the resort is out in the middle of nowhere on a hill.
It was amazing.