Voted Best for the First Quarter
April 15, 2008 | Tags: Northern Lights, Photos
The first quarter winners of our Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Photo Contest have been determined. John Dykes captured the most first and second place votes with his northern lights pictures, and Bill Brophy secured third place with a sled dog closeup. Click the thumbnails below to see the winning shots.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this round. Entries are already being gathered for the second quarter contest; sumbit yours today!
New Inside Alaska Theme Launch
March 25, 2008 | Tags: New Features, Northern Lights
Regular readers will have noticed a substantial shift in the look and feel of Inside Alaska over the past few days. Thanks to those who contributed heavily including:
- WordPress theme Developer Brian Gardner for customizing his Revolution theme specifically for Inside Alaska.
- Jay Baldemor of Louder Design for working with us to create the magnificent new northern lights flash header.
- Patrick Endres of Alaska Photo Graphics for taking the header image, which was provided by Alaska Stock Photography.
Leave a quick comment below and let us know what you think.
Winter’s Unsurpassed Display of Northern Lights
January 11, 2008 | Tags: Northern Lights, Video
The residents of Fairbanks, Alaska are accustomed to spectacular views of the aurora borealis or northern lights. Most people view from their homes, but many travel out of town, away from the city lights for the most spectacular views. A dynamic aurora covers the entire sky, dancing wildly while flashing brilliant colors of green, whitish-blue, or even red.
The above aurora video was taken in Fairbanks last February. As well as a magnificent (mostly green) display, it shows chemical trails in the ionosphere; a result of test rocket fire from Poker Flat Research Range. Thank you Paul Jensen!
When is the best time of the year to view the aurora?
In Fairbanks, observations of the aurora may be made from middle to late August to middle April. The spring months of January, February, March and April are often the best time to view the aurora because of better weather, however, Fall can be just as cooperative weather-wise. The truth of the matter is, the northern lights can occur almost anytime.
What time of the day is the best time to see the aurora?
The time for viewing is between evening and morning civil twilights on clear or partly cloudy nights. Major storms can occur anytime, and local intensification is most common between 10 pm and 2 am.
Why Fairbanks?
Fairbanks sits under what is called the auroral oval, a ring shaped region around the North Pole where auroras occur. Statistically, Fairbanks averages 243 nights per year when it is possible to see the aurora.
More information?
Download additional aurora information, get answers to some frequently asked northern lights questions, or check the aurora forecast when planning your visit.
Photographing the Aurora
January 10, 2008 | Tags: Northern Lights, Photos
Fairbanks’ Winter visitors should come prepared with a good camera and a little knowledge about Alaska’s photography challenges. Top on the list of difficult images to capture are the Northern Lights. While everyone wants to leave with at least a few memorable shots, we don’t always have the knowledge to get us there. Thankfully, Fairbanks has some top-notch pros to help us out! Patrick Endres gives us a lesson in quality aurora photography today on his Alaska Photo Graphics blog. Take some notes, check the aurora forecast, then get out there and take some great Northern Lights photos.
By the way, when you have those stunning images and want to show them off, please enter our Photo Contest. We’d love to share your Alaska Winter adventure with Fairbanks visitors from around the world.
