![]() So there I sat for four hours, anxiously watching a webcam livestream that showed nearby night skies in between games of Uno with my far more patient girlfriend. Even if conditions are right, there’s no guarantee a display of the kind captivating humankind since time immemorial will materialize on any given night. As I learned that evening, a clear sky is just one of many factors that have to line up for the natural phenomenon to make an appearance, most importantly, the location of the ever-moving aurora oval. The aurora does not, in fact, appear whenever the skies are clear. ![]() What do you mean the aurora won’t come out tonight? Doesn’t it come out whenever the skies are clear?Īs it turns out: No. This bad news-and my own ignorance-took me by surprise. The starry night skies, he informed us, would most likely remain just that. I was so sure of the aurora’s imminent arrival, I briefly considered leaving my parka on so I could sprint outside as soon as the first flicker of light appeared above the horizon.Īs we settled in, pouring coffee at the self-serve station to steel ourselves for a long night of viewing, a knowledgeable speaker debriefed us on the aurora-what it is, how it happens and why a display was unlikely that night. My girlfriend and I joined a few dozen travelers at the cozy hilltop viewing shelter, where the plan was to stay warm inside while waiting for the lights to appear outside. Yet, there we were on our first night in Fairbanks, anxiously awaiting the show to begin from inside Aurora Pointe. ![]() On our flight’s descent into Anchorage, outside our cabin near Fairbanks, basically, whenever the sun went down, we’d see the famous northern lights. As long as forecasts were favorable, I assumed the sky would pop with dancing waves of brilliant green, purple and pink light every night. We’d booked our trip for mid-March-one of the best times of year to see the northern lights. When my girlfriend and I booked a vacation to see the aurora borealis in Alaska, we figured we’d enjoy dazzling displays every night. ![]()
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