What Causes The Aurora Borealis In Alaska And The Best Places To See It

Alaska has so much to offer aside from its amazing land features and rich cultural

heritage but none of these have as much impact as the Alaska northern lights. Visitors from all over the globe travel to Alaska just to witness this magical spectacle. Now, what are these northern lights and what causes them?

Attempts have been made to explain the northern lights phenomenon over the course of many centuries the closest of them is Aristoteles' description of the aurora as "flames of burning gas". The northern lights were also viewed as signs of either a good or bad omen. A red auroral appearance was interpreted that an outbreak of war is imminent during the Middle Ages.

Modern day science has already discovered how the northern lights are created. The starting point is the sun when it gives off a torrent of plasma or charged particles. These particles are scattered in the outer space and eventually some of them are drawn to the North and South Poles of Earth through their magnetic fields. When these charged particles come in contact with the Earth's atmosphere that's the time when photons are produced, emitting a variety of shimmering colors.

An easier way to comprehend how the aurora borealis is formed is to compare it with a neon sign. As you can see, a neon sign is merely a tube that is filled with gases that will emit light when an electric voltage is applied. In the same manner, the sun gives off charged particles that surge to the Earth and glow like a neon sign when these solar particles hit the thermosphere. Oxygen is responsible for producing red and green aurora while nitrogen is responsible for the colors blue and violet. The aurora's color quality largely depends on the gas concentration.

Fairbanks, Barrow, Mayo, and Faro are said to be favored with auroral sightings and it's not a surprise why a lot of travelers choose these places to stay for their northern lights hunting escapade. However, because of logistics, Fairbanks is chosen as a top destination for northern lights viewing as it is much easier visiting and viewing from here than from anywhere else further north or east. Yukon north of Whitehorse is also perfectly positioned for best viewing.

Travelers are advised to bring warm clothes to keep up with the winter temperature but most importantly, patience and persistence if they want to see the evading northern lights.

by: Sandra Najera

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