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Best US places and times to see the aurora

Where in the US the aurora is most often visible, which months and hours give the best odds, and why the equinoxes help, with sources from UAF and NOAA SWPC.

Best places

Interior Alaska is the standout. UAF lists Fairbanks as a location with a good chance of overhead aurora at average activity levels, and it names nearby viewing areas away from town, such as Chena Lakes Recreation Area, Cleary Summit and Murphy Dome. [1]

UAF also notes that continental parts of Alaska and western Canada under the auroral zone have some of the clearest skies statistically, which matters as much as activity. [1]

In the contiguous US, the northern-tier states have the best chance, but only during strong geomagnetic activity. NOAA's guide says that at Kp 6–7 the aurora might be visible from the northern edge of the country. [2] [3] Wherever you are, a dark site with an unobstructed northern horizon makes the biggest practical difference. [2]

Best months

Darkness comes first. UAF gives Fairbanks' practical viewing season as roughly 21 August to 21 April, because summer nights there are too bright. [1]

Equinoxes give a boost. NOAA and UAF both describe a tendency for more geomagnetic activity near the March and September equinoxes, which UAF calls strong but not fully understood. UAF puts the chance of seeing aurora over interior Alaska at roughly twice as high at equinox as at solstice. [2] [1]

The leading explanation is the Russell–McPherron effect. The tilt of Earth's magnetic axis relative to the solar wind's magnetic field changes with the seasons, and near the equinoxes it makes southward field, the kind that couples energy into the magnetosphere, more effective. [4]

Best hours and nights

NOAA puts the most active aurora within an hour or two of local midnight. [2] UAF suggests about 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. for interior Alaska in winter. [1]

Plan for several nights. UAF advises that visitors staying three or more clear nights in Fairbanks during the season are very likely, though never certain, to see aurora. [1]

The Sun rotates about once every 27 days, so active regions and coronal holes that drove aurora once can do so again about 27 days later. UAF uses this for its 27-day outlook. [1]

Where the solar cycle fits

NASA and NOAA announced in October 2024 that the Sun had entered the maximum phase of Solar Cycle 25. They added that significant storms also occur during the declining phase. [5]

UAF notes that auroral activity tends to peak about a year after solar maximum, and that high-latitude viewing depends less on the cycle because the oval is normally overhead. [1]

Sources

  1. University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute: Aurora Forecast and FAQ https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast
  2. NOAA SWPC: Tips on Viewing the Aurora https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/tips-viewing-aurora
  3. NOAA SWPC: Planetary K-index (product description) https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/planetary-k-index
  4. Russell, C. T. & McPherron, R. L. (1973). Semiannual variation of geomagnetic activity. Journal of Geophysical Research. doi:10.1029/JA078i001p00092
  5. NASA (2024): NASA, NOAA: Sun Reaches Maximum Phase in 11-Year Solar Cycle https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/nasa-noaa-sun-reaches-maximum-phase-in-11-year-solar-cycle/

Sources were checked on 2026-10-21. Text on this page is original. Quoted figures are attributed and linked to the source. General education only, not for safety or operational decisions. Disclaimer.