Northern Sights

When to come

The best time to see the northern lights in Fairbanks

The northern lights are out all year. You need a dark sky to see them, and in Alaska that means late August to mid April. Nobody can forecast a display months ahead, but three things can be known: how long it is dark, where the moon will be, and how cloudy the month usually is. In Fairbanks's records, March is the clearest month of the season.

Dark-moon weeks coming up

Seven nights around each new moon, when the sky is darkest. A strong display shows through any moon, so treat these as a good default, not a rule. Our picks are the weeks in the months that are usually clearest.

Month by month

MonthDark hours a nightUsual skyGood to know
October 202611 hours9 of 31 days clear or partly cloudy
November 202613.5 hours12 of 30 days clear or partly cloudy
December 202615 hours13 of 31 days clear or partly cloudyWinter Solstice Festival.
January 202714 hours15 of 31 days clear or partly cloudy
February 202711.5 hours14 of 28 days clear or partly cloudyYukon Quest Alaska, World Ice Art Championships.
March 20278.5 hours17 of 31 days clear or partly cloudyDisplays tend to be stronger around the equinox. World Ice Art Championships, Limited North American Championships, Open North American Championship.
April 20274 hours15 of 31 days clear or partly cloudy
May 2027None16 of 31 days clear or partly cloudyToo light for the northern lights.
June 2027None13 of 30 days clear or partly cloudyToo light for the northern lights.
July 2027None12 of 31 days clear or partly cloudyToo light for the northern lights.
August 2027None10 of 31 days clear or partly cloudyToo light for the northern lights.
September 20277 hours10 of 30 days clear or partly cloudyDisplays tend to be stronger around the equinox.

Dark hours are for the middle of each month, counted from when the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon. Usual sky is a long-term average from NOAA's climate records (45 years of daytime observations at Fairbanks). It describes the month, not any one night.

Coming in the next few weeks?

Inside 27 days there is a real outlook: expected activity, cloud for the first week and the moon, night by night.

See the Fairbanks forecastPlan it for me