The Northern Lights in Alaska

At the center of our solar system lies the sun, the yellow star that sustains life on our planet. The sun's many magnetic fields distort and twist as our parent star rotates on its axis. When these fields become knotted together, they burst and create so-called sunspots. Usually, these sunspots occur in pairs; the largest can be several times the size of the Earth's diameter.

A team of scientists has finished launching instrument-laden weather balloons to the edge of Alaska's dazzling northern lights, but the researchers still have a lot of work ahead of them.

Project Aether: Aurora was a two-week expedition that ran through April 15, when the team had to head back home. The researchers lofted nearly two dozen balloons in an effort to learn more about the northern lights (also known as the aurora borealis), test out equipment and — aided by high-definition aurora videos taken 19 miles (30 kilometers) up in the atmosphere — help inspire students around the world to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and math.

The northern lights can be seen from late August through mid-April.   All of the winter activities have begun the 1st of December thru the beginning of April.  We are open year round and do receive great Northern Lights in October & November as well, although not having enough snow on the ground prevents some of the activities form being available. Please keep in mind weather is the primary factor in viewing the Aurora. If it is overcast the aurora cannot be seen.  The best viewing weather is either in the month of September OR in the winter from December until the end of March.