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Northern Lights


yags
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Compare the 2 charts below. You need at least nautical twilight (and that is for bright displays). In southeast Alaska, there will be nautical twilight. The problem will be not only that the northern lights won't be bright and easy to see in nautical twilight, but that they are generally low on the horizon. In southeast Alaska the mountains and forests of tall trees will be in your way.

I, on the other hand, have a good chance to see them tonight...if I can stay awake!

 

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5557317?month=6&year=2018

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/anchorage?month=6&year=2018

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We have been to Alaska 3 times and never seen the Northern Lights. As seeing the lights is something of a bucket list for me we have booked a cruise specifically for that purpose. If you are serious about seeing this phenomenon you may want to look into booking the same cruise. It's billed as Search for the Northern Lights

 

Voyage / Dest: H929 / 12 Days Europe - North Cape

Ship / Registry:Sapphire Princess / British

Embarkation: October 19, 2019 / London (Southampton)

Disembarkation: October 31, 2019 / London (Southampton)

 

The ship goes up to Alta, Norway. It arrives at 10:00 AM on one morning and departs at 11:00 PM the following night so there is a good shot at seeing the Northern Lights. We have a TA on Emerald Princess booked from Barcelona to FLL 4 days later so will be taking the train to Paris for two nights and then on to Barcelona for 2 nights. If you want to spend the extra time and money that cruise can actually be extended through the new locks of the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. (We didn't book that portion.)

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The Northern Lights are all dependant on the amount of solar activity (Geomagnetic storms) at the time. There was a G1 storm on the 11th of April, and the Northern lights should have been visible for 2-3 days after. I track the storms on a site called "Space Weather" it details the current solar activity and the potential for northern lights and you can ask the site to send an email when there is an eruption.

 

If there is no activity, there is little chance of seeing any northern lights, anywhere. You also need a clear view of the Northern Sky to be able to view them fully.

 

If you are on a cruise in June you have to be aware of the amount of light that you will have the further north you go. I live north of the 53rd Parallel, and we currently have light until after 9 PM every night. As we move closer to the summer solstice June 21 the days get longer and longer. In June we typically have very light conditions until after 11 PM.

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We have been to Alaska 3 times and never seen the Northern Lights. As seeing the lights is something of a bucket list for me we have booked a cruise specifically for that purpose. If you are serious about seeing this phenomenon you may want to look into booking the same cruise. It's billed as Search for the Northern Lights

 

Voyage / Dest: H929 / 12 Days Europe - North Cape

Ship / Registry:Sapphire Princess / British

Embarkation: October 19, 2019 / London (Southampton)

Disembarkation: October 31, 2019 / London (Southampton)

 

The ship goes up to Alta, Norway. It arrives at 10:00 AM on one morning and departs at 11:00 PM the following night so there is a good shot at seeing the Northern Lights. We have a TA on Emerald Princess booked from Barcelona to FLL 4 days later so will be taking the train to Paris for two nights and then on to Barcelona for 2 nights. If you want to spend the extra time and money that cruise can actually be extended through the new locks of the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. (We didn't book that portion.)

 

Although I really did not expect to see the northern lights on this trip I have never been to Alaska before so I thought I would ask. The northern lights IS on my bucket list and your trip to see them sounds Awesome. I hope they are spectacular for you.

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Actually, I believe in miracles! This happened on our VERY first cruise which happened to be to Alaska on the Celebrity Galaxy;

We were treated to the Northern Lights on August 28, 2000. This happened after leaving Haines and I think we were one of the first to see them. It was after dinner and we went outside for some fresh air.

And there they were! I went inside to tell our friends and word began to spread. About 30 minutes later, the Captain announced it all over the ship.

 

This was very special as it would have been my Dad's 85th birthday on that day.

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Similar to others, on our 4 AK cruises we have never seem the northern lights. I have also spent several land trips to AK in July and not seen the lights mostly because it is too much sunlight that time of year. In fact on my land trips to AK in July, I have not even seen it get dark because I am asleep at that time.

 

I did see the northern lights one night on our west bound TA from London to NYC.

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Actually, I believe in miracles! This happened on our VERY first cruise which happened to be to Alaska on the Celebrity Galaxy;

We were treated to the Northern Lights on August 28, 2000. This happened after leaving Haines and I think we were one of the first to see them. It was after dinner and we went outside for some fresh air.

And there they were! I went inside to tell our friends and word began to spread. About 30 minutes later, the Captain announced it all over the ship.

 

This was very special as it would have been my Dad's 85th birthday on that day.

 

We will keep our fingers crossed. Maybe my mom has some pull up there.

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Actually, I believe in miracles! This happened on our VERY first cruise which happened to be to Alaska on the Celebrity Galaxy;

We were treated to the Northern Lights on August 28, 2000. ...

There is a HUGE difference between 'almost September' and June in terms of how dark the sky gets for how long though... day length is over four hours shorter than at the Solstice. Alaska doesn't get called 'land of the midnight sun' for nothing!

 

 

OP - have a look at e.g. SunriseSunset for your ports on your dates. Unless it's after ASTRONOMICAL sunset and before the same sunrise, the sky is not truly dark. A stronger display you might see after merely Nautical or even Civil times - but even if you get lucky with activity, you're still looking at a very narrow window of time in the wee small hours. And unless they turn off the ship's lights, you'll still miss some shows that might be just visible on land at the same latitude.

 

I would not even consider setting my alarm on a June cruise - if the aurora is a bucket list item, what you want is a trip to the Yukon, Iceland, or Norway on land for a few days in winter. Virtually any non-cloudy night you can see activity and there are packaged tours available to all these destinations from major airports across the world.

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We saw them once on a ship doing the "usual suspects" ports of call in Alaska Southeast. Don't remember exactly where, but it was late May, and it was about 2:00 am. They told us to leave our tv on the Princess channel when we went to bed and that they would make an announcement if the lights came out to play. That worked fine. We woke up, went up to the top deck, saw the lights, and almost froze. Good times.

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We Will be going on the Grand in June to Alaska. Any Chance of seeing the Northern lights?

 

Check the times for sunset and sunrise. Also check for official sunset, cicil sunset, nautical sunset and astronomical sunset. It does not get dark enough to see aurora after sunset but only after astronomical sunset or at least nautical sunset. You will be able to answer your own question.

 

BTW - 21 June is the longest day of they year.

 

BTW-BTW - if you really want to see aurora, you have to make a trip to AK during winter especially to see them. I went to Fairbanks in March and spent almost a week at Chena Hot Springs. I specifically picked a date when there was almost no moon and there was a good conjunction of several planets. We saw good aurora almost every night.

 

You have to sort of work at it to see aurora. Going to AK on the longest day of the year just won't cut it.

 

DON

Edited by donaldsc
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In 2000 we went on an Alaskan cruise that left Vancouver on 19th August. We then toured in Alaska for two weeks. We chose the dates to be as late in the summer as we could (to get many hours of total darkness at night). Our two weeks' touring in an RV were timed to coincide with the period when there was no moon to 'drown out' the lights. The best area in Alaska to see the lights is an arc that crosses over Fairbanks. We stayed in State Parks so we would be away from streetlights. On a couple of nights we had cloud, but on a few nights we had spectacular displays that went on for hours and hours. It was fantastic :D.

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We saw them on our last Alaska cruise in early September. Our cabin was on the starboard side, and we saw them for about 2 hours starting at 10pm. We were cruising from Ketchikan to Skagway. Outstanding.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Just booked a mid-September Alaskan cruise in the hopes of seeing the Northern Lights. What are the chances of us seeing them? I’m estimating a little more than 50% daylight on our cruise.

I would say your chances were good. I’ve seen them in Fairbanks starting in late August and there was an outstanding display in early September when I was in Glacier Bay a few years back. We are on the downside of the current cycle, though.

 

 

The biggest issue on a cruise ship is finding a place dark enough for good viewing. I would talk to your cruise director and find out if they will do wake up calls or have “astronomy nights” where they turn off some of the lights.

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The Northern Lights are all dependant on the amount of solar activity (Geomagnetic storms) at the time. There was a G1 storm on the 11th of April, and the Northern lights should have been visible for 2-3 days after. I track the storms on a site called "Space Weather" it details the current solar activity and the potential for northern lights and you can ask the site to send an email when there is an eruption.

 

If there is no activity, there is little chance of seeing any northern lights, anywhere. You also need a clear view of the Northern Sky to be able to view them fully.

 

Very interesting site, thank you. Signed up for their emailed updates so I can know in advance if we will see anything on certain days.

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Early May means relatively clear skies, but still loooooooong days/short nights - so even if there's a show, even if the ship lights are off, the potential window is so narrow that by the time an announcement gets made and folks roll out of bed and get outside... could be gone. As a Brit a cheap weekend package to Reykjavik any time November to early April gives you almost 100% sightings when not too cloudy - there's a beach a short drive away from downtown that dozens of buses take people to nightly.

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I'm booked on the Ruby Princess on April 28. I am hoping to see the Northern Lights..but not counting on it. I went to Rekjavik two years ago in March, and the weather was so snowy, rainy and icy that all the Northern Lights hunter tours were cancelled. We tried going to that beach one night and sat for a while and gave up...Maybe this time :)

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For realistic expectations for what possibilities folks have to view an aurora, the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute website may be helpful: http://www.gi.alaska.edu

 

Hit the tab for the Aurora Forecast as that will take you to a list of articles. Not only is there a FAQ section, but articles of interest may be "Viewing the Aurora in the Northern Summer" and "Traveler's Guide..."

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We have been to Alaska 3 times and never seen the Northern Lights. As seeing the lights is something of a bucket list for me we have booked a cruise specifically for that purpose. If you are serious about seeing this phenomenon you may want to look into booking the same cruise. It's billed as Search for the Northern Lights

 

Voyage / Dest: H929 / 12 Days Europe - North Cape

Ship / Registry:Sapphire Princess / British

Embarkation: October 19, 2019 / London (Southampton)

Disembarkation: October 31, 2019 / London (Southampton)

 

The ship goes up to Alta, Norway. It arrives at 10:00 AM on one morning and departs at 11:00 PM the following night so there is a good shot at seeing the Northern Lights. We have a TA on Emerald Princess booked from Barcelona to FLL 4 days later so will be taking the train to Paris for two nights and then on to Barcelona for 2 nights. If you want to spend the extra time and money that cruise can actually be extended through the new locks of the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. (We didn't book that portion.)

 

Wow - that looks like a great cruise! I showed it to my DH & we're seriously considering it!! Also, possibly the TA.

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We were on the Solstice last September (early in the month) and saw the sky dancing during the last “at sea” night. I believe it was about 1:00 am. That was our 5th Alaska cruise but the only time we’ve seen them. Usually we cruise in May though.

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I would say your chances were good. I’ve seen them in Fairbanks starting in late August and there was an outstanding display in early September when I was in Glacier Bay a few years back. We are on the downside of the current cycle, though.

 

 

The biggest issue on a cruise ship is finding a place dark enough for good viewing. I would talk to your cruise director and find out if they will do wake up calls or have “astronomy nights” where they turn off some of the lights.

 

Thanks.

 

Rats. I just checked the moons for our cruise. The full moon is the second night. Will a full moon during the cruise inhibit our chances of seeing the Northern Lights?

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