Aurora near Fairbanks, Alaska

[brightgreenbies]

Definately miss the northern lights

[XCHUSKYXC]

look at 0:22 into the sky and say me what you can see there?

[mynameislulou]

do you think i will see any Aurora in the summer time in fairbanks?

[flovholm]

I wish, but from end of April to mid August it doesn't get dark enough to see aurora this far north.

[MrRopheil]

miracle

[devanlou]

kool

[hearty221]

why is there an aurora???i mean how does it work??? i thought aurora is a fiction coz of some anime drama ,, but i guess its true...i wanna see one,coz its really nice..

[ChucklesTheSane]

@hearty221

Wiki "aurora (astronomy)" Wikipedia might be biased trash for many things, but the astronomy community keeps it updated and detailed fairly well to be quite informative for questions like yours.

I also hope you do someday get to see it live. flovholm, is there a non-timelapse version you can post of this exact same clip? That would even more impressive, IMHO, because it shows how vibrant and lively it really is.

Yes, I used to live around Fairbanks, Alaska.. :)

[hearty221]

@ChucklesTheSane ....im living here in asia so im not that familiar in the aurora thing...but im hoping to see it someday...well, thank you..

[eliaEmo]

WOW dats so beautiful.i want so much to see dat live

[BoracayOcean69]

The Northen Lights as we call them are out so EARLY this year!!!! We saw them already this year in September 2010!! Mostly green hue but some redish pink at the bottom.

[n0tthej0nes]

This is beautiful, it looks like the underside of a skirt and the wearer is dancing! It is beautiful!

[tanyamccraney]

it's hard to stand outside and watch them cause it's so dam clear and cold when they are out!...but it's worth freezing your ass off.. :)

[BoracayOcean69]

@tanyamccraney they are out very early this year!!! and not even cold out! wooo Hooooooooo!

[Blastbox4]

what do you guys do for fun? I wouldnt know i live in florida

[McAwEsOmE119]

*weird fact* you can't take pictures of auroras with just normal cameras it doesn't work don't ask me why

[eDD77s]

@McAwEsOmE119 sry, this makes no sense. you can see the aurora borealis so your cam does. maybe you have to set longer shutter speed and higher iso value (more photosensitive). your cam is sensitive to the same "light"-band as your eye.

btw, great footage! i wish someday to see this natural phenomena live!

[musicclouds]

It's my biggest wish to see it live and to feel in that moment how less important so many things are. Including me... smile...

[McAwEsOmE119]

I live there it really is amazing to see :) It is like nothing else in the world when those lights are dancing above you head. But, even if you live here it is still rare to see them sometimes we only get one small one a winter it is worth it though

[alnllc]

damn. looks crazier than tripping on shrooms

[niceley335]

and some human beings seriously don't think God excists...

[bocuster]

@niceley335 Zomg, something I don't understand...that must mean that some invisible guy in the sky is making it happen. It's the only logical conclusion.

[BoracayOcean69]

@niceley335 Amen! He does indeed

[LaShnike]

I just HAD to move to Fairbanks during a solar minimum - grumble grumble! You can still see them though, i just really want to see them in full swing because they are so lovely!!

[LoudnessInc7]

Does Aurora Borealis only happen in Fairbanks, and not like in Anchorage or lower parts of Alaska? Thanks!

[flovholm]

Aurora can be seen throughout Alaska, though not as frequently farther south; especially not during solar minimum (which we have now; next maximum should be ~2012). Google "Aurora Watcher's Guide" and go to page 2 of the Sky & Telescope article. There you will find a small chart showing the probability of seeing aurora around the northern hemisphere (on average - it's lower during solar minimum, especially farther south).

[HillbillyPaintball]

i want to go to alaska next time this happens....when is the next time or does it happen evry night??

[justinhines94]

its random i would suggest stayin a month in fairbanks if you would and just remain outside lol

[frenchkitty20]

it happends during winter..you might wanna go during the months of nov to feb..on march its seldom..

[flovholm]

@frenchkitty20

Statistically auroras are actually slightly more frequent and better around equinox. I advise people to come here in March (September is usually cloudier).

[rezzoro7]

It happens only when you are not there =p

[flyasfastasyoucan]

in south america can be seen to.

In Chile and Argentina

[jamesgnostic]

if you look there is a video here about copper center northren lights but you can see them further south anchorage has light polution but you can still see them

[BoracayOcean69]

@LoudnessInc7 It happens symetrically in the southern hemisphere.

[gailquincy]

Is this time lapse or do the arouras really move like that?

[flovholm]

It's timelapse - those are minutes counting on the lower left. Also, you mostly can't see the colors with the naked eye. The human eye needs a certain light intensity to be able to discern colors, and only when the aurora is at its brightest does it exceed this threshold.

[BoracayOcean69]

@gailquincy yes they do move like a snake through the sky.....quite awesome display! The times I have seen them they are moslty greenish, but the really nice ones have redish pink hues

[store275]

Beautiful!!

[MrsMouseMan]

Amazing vid!!

[prosepp]

wow, extraordinary footage !! ***** and greetings to Alaska !

[joemyo]

Nice job, looks amazing. Hope I get to see one of these some day.

[dhoffman12]

Was this sped up? If so, by how much? x2, x4?

[flovholm]

Those are minutes counting on the lower left.

[cricketnabil]

gr8

[dmgcolorado556]

Wow!!!!

[Carmencitta4ever]

This is amazing!!!! I LOVE IT !!!

I am starting to plan a trip for Alaska for next year and I want to see this with my own eyes!!! Any good advice and stories are very welcome as we are traveling without a Travel Agency but on our own.

[flovholm]

I suggest March. Weather is best during spring months, and you get half/half daylight and dark hours to allow for both aurora viewing and other sightseeing. Also, there is a big ice art festival in Fairbanks in March. I'd recommend a visit to Chena Hot Springs too. When here, keep an eye on the aurora forecast from the Geophysical Institute at UAF (can't post link, so Google it :-)).

[ups463]

you guys see the shooting star at 0:19 ? cool stuff

[flovholm]

It is actually a satellite passing by. There are a few more of them.

[ups463]

o cool thanks...

[spoonradar]

...dont do acid in alaska during the winter =]

[nuage7777]

Hilarious! Loved your comment! :)

[diedrewren]

its incredible when you see it in person...a friend of mine and i where up on a hill near shannon park and it was freezing, like 3 in the morning but middle august and we very lightly saw some northern lights, but it wasnt until october that I saw the beautiful bright green ones.

[fjeffrey10]

I thought that the northern lights were most commonly seen at the equator?

Just kidding.

[suntzu1985]

shhh!!!!! dont tell algore that joke. he will want tax everyone in America to 'save' the equatorial lights due to the ultraviolet light destroying the ozone hole over the poles.

[ri7h]

You guys can see it in Europe! Try in northren Finland or Norway :P

[matomato123]

fucking europeˇ-ˇ i want see this!!!

[Grizli12345]

never seen them, but i really really want to, i hate living in Europe :(

[nuage7777]

You're crazy... Europe rules!

[thesixtiesguy]

I've seen them twice in three years in northern Indiana. You just have to be at the right place at the right time. Last summer they were so brilliant (green, red and purple) and I really think you can hear them. May just be my imagination but i really think I can hear them. And they didn't last very long either time. Probably 10-15 minutes at the longest. You need to be in a dark place. we were camping and went out about 3 in the morning. Maybe you could predict them from sunspot activity.

[chinchillawrangler]

ive lived in alaska my whole life and never seen this shit. probably cause im in anchorage. but uh where do you see this?

[flovholm]

Odds are better north of the AK Range, perhaps especially considering the weather. Nevertheless, Anchorage does get these displays too. Keep an eye on the night sky and you will see it too sooner or later. :-) This year has been pretty quiet though because we are at the minimum of the sun's 11-year activity cycle.

[2pawd]

me too...

[EternalLoveForever]

I was talking to that ihatemylife29 guy down there.

But I love Auroras! I really want to see one ): It's like a little peice of Heaven. <3

[midnightmarshmallow]

That's incredible... can anyone tell me what causes it?

[flovholm]

Charged particles accelerated in the magnetosphere and plunging into the atmosphere following magnetic field lines. This is how CRT monitors work too, btw (bombarding a fluorescent screen with accelerated electrons).

[detroitchuckie]

Actually this is time lapse. Dont expect to see anything like this when you come up here. Just didnt want you to be dissappointed.

[JuanCarlosFernandez]

not that fast of movements but it is still very cool

[4ever0o0themusic]

O

M

G

just Wonderful !!!!!!!

[NekooChan]

This is soo relaxing to look at.. Makes you feel like you're under water.. Beautiful.

[MePrinc3]

I know wat u mean Maggie it is relaxing to watch it...

<3 u Boo xDD

[Gothemus]

Beautifully shot...loved it. Alaska. Always the heartland.

[ipowndanoobs]

fuck u i hate my life alaska is the best bitch and its fucking cool pussy

[tokenblkguy1785]

You are a douchebag.

[ihatemylife29]

I am a douchebag, im sorry i just dont see the beauty in fucking lights in a sky... watch tv or something real beauty is watching my sister make love to my father.

[EternalLoveForever]

Hahaha wow that's pretty sad. That's where you get your entertainment from? That's damn sad. ):

[funkyflights]

Why is that sad.... that's and incredible sight

[EternalLoveForever]

Oh, sorry. I was talking to a different person. And yes, I agree, it's incredible.

[xinom000]

ihatemylife29

constructive criticism is fine, but shut the fuck up. seriously. you hate your life? i hate your life too. go kill yourself. i cant believe im actually getting in to this on a youtube video (which is amazing, much credit to the author), but why dont you go swallow a bottle of oxy or something. slit your wrists. i dont care. just end yourself so poor people like me dont have to hear your whiny self-pitying bullshit. for the last time. go die.

[YuffieFFVII]

ah..! I haven't seen anything that epic in my life!! lucky to be there, you~~!

[suburbjorn]

i can't wait to see these for myself

[Najmods]

My God, such beauty.....

[penny143]

This is so beautiful! I used to live in Fairbanks last year and I really miss it! Life here in the lower 48 just doesn't compare : (

[Nocker40]

i totally agree with you, i lived there a couple of years ago and loved it

[ZetaGouki]

Didn't see much of the northern lights this year... and ya I live in Fairbanks

[HarukaTotomey]

0:19 Was that a shooting star? Great video!

[flovholm]

It's a satellite, you can see another one at ~0:24 following the same trajectory. Shooting stars are too "quick" to show up in these videos (the numbers counting on the lower left are minutes, specifically the local time in hh:mm format).

[HarukaTotomey]

Hmmm... Yea. That does make sense. Anyway, I love your videos! Just answer me this- why are they in a fish eye point of view? Not that that is a bad thing, of course.

[flovholm]

Some people do dislike the fisheye effect, but it is simply impossible to capture such wide field of view (here most of the sky) without warping the image as a fisheye does. A couple of my other videos use a rectilinear (non-fisheye) lens, but for the same reason only show a small section of the sky.

[YuffieFFVII]

I didn't see anything ^^;;

[JoHnNyBoY0708]

My Home Town Tha Bankz. Howcome I didn't see that last year or was it last year. Prolly I was out doin some trouble makin that year.

[KlutchZA]

Wow, what's it like living in Fairbanks? I'm from Brooklyn, New York and I hope to move there after college.

[Chickeys17]

Cold! But gorgeous, even at -40F. :-)

[rumerboyz]

To me living in fairbanks (1997-2000) was like being in a different country. It is a great state, but be ready for the cold and darkness. Summer time is cool with the extra light and many things you can do because it is still light out.

[ivonneak]

I miss Alaska :(

Great video by the way!

[rumerboyz]

I remember watching the lights out at chena hot springs back in 1998. I was stationed at Ft. Wainwright and really enjoyed living in Fairbanks. I can remember seeing the lights for the first time, WOW! What a great state.

[Scribe816]

I'm hoping to visit Alaska mid August 2008. Do you have any idea if there is a chance to see the lights at that time? 5 Stars - It's a very well done video.

[flovholm]

I'm afraid odds are against you. In Fairbanks it simply doesn't get dark enough (you may be able to glimpse it when it's brightest). Farther south it gets a little darker, but auroras are less frequent. August is our "rain season" up here too. Much better for salmon fishing than aurora. :-)

[janetlw]

Is it a hit or miss each night? Meaning, there is no guarantee that you will see the lights? Is that correct? I have to see these lights before

I die and you answered my question about when to

come. That is March. Thanks

[flovholm]

No guarantee, but it's not quite hit or miss either. Auroras are fueled by the solar wind which can be predicted to some extent. Google "gedds aurora forecast" for the best forecast available (can't post the link :-|).

Cloud cover is the big unknown. A main reason I recommend March is that spring is less cloudy.

[KieferSkunk]

When was the recording actually done? You said late in the season, which suggests between March and May. My wife and I are going to Fairbanks in March this year, hoping to see aurorae. :)

[flovholm]

April 17 (time stamp is on the video). Spring is the best time of year for aurora viewing; I advise people to come in March. Good luck!

[KieferSkunk]

Oh yeah, duh. :) Sorry - I was paying so much attention to the aurorae in the video that I'd not paid attention to the timestamp.

In any event, awesome video. :) Thanks for posting it!

[elenwashere]

Amazing Video

[alaskajohn]

There's no place like home.

[alaskajohn]

There's no place like home. :)

[realninjasfan]

OMG THAT'S AWESOME

[elkkuu]

omg. i have been in fairbanks but never seen auroras.