Fairbanks Aurora Webcam – Northern Lights Over Alaska

The Fairbanks Aurora Webcam points at the northern sky above the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Large Animal Research Station, about 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles) northwest of downtown Fairbanks. The wide-angle lens takes in a big sweep of sky over a mown slope, with a dark stand of spruce on the left, birch and aspen along the bottom of the frame and a few station lights below them. On a clear night between late August and April, green arcs of the aurora borealis can rise over those trees and sometimes spread across most of the picture, with pink or violet edges during stronger displays. Explore.org runs the stream with the university and has kept it on air since February 2023. The best odds come in the hours around local midnight, and Alaska runs four hours behind New York.

About Fairbanks and the Large Animal Research Station

The camera stands at the Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station, a 130-acre (53-hectare) university farm on Yankovich Road where UAF keeps muskoxen, reindeer and wood bison. The first muskoxen arrived in 1964, and the homestead the station grew out of dates to 1923.

Fairbanks sits at 136 meters (446 feet) on the Chena River, with the Tanana River along its southern edge. It began in August 1901, when E.T. Barnette’s steamer ran aground on the Chena and he set up a trading post on the bank. The camp took the name of Senator Charles W. Fairbanks in 1902, and Felix Pedro’s gold strike that July on what is now Pedro Creek brought the rush. The town was incorporated in November 1903 with Barnette as its first mayor. The 2020 census counted 32,515 people in the city and 95,655 in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The Arctic Circle is 315 kilometers (196 miles) north by road, and Anchorage about 576 kilometers (358 miles) south.

Fairbanks lies under the auroral oval, the ring around the far north where auroras concentrate. The university’s Geophysical Institute publishes a free aurora forecast with a 0 to 9 activity scale, an Alaska map and a three-day outlook in three-hour steps. The institute also operates Poker Flat Research Range at Chatanika, about 48 kilometers (30 miles) northeast, which calls itself the largest land-based rocket research range in the world.

Weather and Climate in Fairbanks

Winter is long, dark and very cold. January averages a high of -17.4 C (0.6 F) and a low of -27.3 C (-17.2 F), and the record low is -54.4 C (-66 F), set on January 14, 1934. At the winter solstice the sun is up for just 3 hours 41 minutes, so in December the Fairbanks Aurora Webcam spends most of the day looking at a dark sky, which is what aurora watching needs. About 164 centimeters (64.6 inches) of snow falls in a typical year and hoarfrost can coat the trees in frame. During deep cold snaps, temperature inversions can trap ice fog, made when moisture from car exhaust and breath freezes into floating crystals, and it can blur or hide the sky on screen.

Summer turns the picture around. July averages a high of 22.6 C (72.7 F) and a low of 11.7 C (53.1 F), and the record is 37.2 C (99 F) from July 28, 1919. Daylight reaches 21 hours 49 minutes at the summer solstice, and Explore Fairbanks counts 70 days of continuous usable light from May 17 to July 27. From about April 22 to August 20 the sky never gets dark enough for the aurora, so the camera shows bright nights, passing clouds and trees in full leaf. The first dark nights return in late August, and in September the birches turn yellow under the station lights.

Things to Do Near Fairbanks

The research station itself runs outdoor tours in summer, roughly late May to early September, lasting 45 to 60 minutes among the muskoxen and reindeer. On the main campus, the University of Alaska Museum of the North displays Blue Babe, a 36,000-year-old steppe bison mummy found in 1979, along with the state’s largest gold display. Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, a former dairy protected since 1979, draws migrating cranes and waterfowl. Pioneer Park is free and holds the sternwheeler SS Nenana, and the Riverboat Discovery runs three-hour summer cruises on the Chena that stop at Susan Butcher’s Trail Breaker Kennel and a Chena Athabascan village.

For seeing the aurora in person, Explore Fairbanks names Murphy Dome, at 877 meters (2,877 feet) the highest point close to town, and Cleary Summit, at 680 meters (2,233 feet) near Mile 20 of the Steese Highway. Chena Hot Springs Resort, about 97 kilometers (60 miles) from Fairbanks, pairs outdoor hot springs with the Aurora Ice Museum, kept at -7 C (25 F) all year. In late February and March, the World Ice Art Championships fill the George Horner Ice Park with sculptures cut from local ice.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more northern lights and Alaska wildlife, these cameras are worth a look.

• Churchill Northern Lights Webcam
• Abisko Webcam
• Katmai National Park Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Fairbanks Aurora Webcam located?

At the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station on Yankovich Road, about 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles) northwest of downtown Fairbanks in interior Alaska. The camera faces north, toward the part of the sky where the aurora usually appears.

Can I see the northern lights on the webcam tonight?

That depends on darkness, clouds and solar activity. Check the UAF Geophysical Institute aurora forecast, then watch between about 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Alaska time on a clear night from late August to April.

Why can’t I see the aurora on the camera right now?

Usually the sky is too bright or too cloudy. From about April 22 to August 20 Fairbanks never gets properly dark, and in any season daytime, overcast skies or a quiet night can leave the frame empty. Displays often build and fade within minutes, so check back later.

What time is best to watch the northern lights in Fairbanks?

The University of Alaska Fairbanks points to the three or four hours centered on midnight, and 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. is the best window in winter. Alaska is four hours behind Eastern Time, so local midnight is 4 a.m. in New York.

When is aurora season in Fairbanks?

Explore Fairbanks gives the season as August 21 to April 21, the months when nights are dark enough. December and January bring the longest nights and the deepest cold.

How often are the northern lights visible in Fairbanks?

According to Explore Fairbanks, the aurora appears on an average of four out of five nights when the sky is clear and dark enough. Visitors who stay three nights or more and stay up late have better than a 90 percent chance of seeing it.

What is the weather like in Fairbanks?

Fairbanks has long, very cold winters and short, warm summers. January averages -17.4 C (0.6 F) by day and -27.3 C (-17.2 F) at night, while July highs average 22.6 C (72.7 F). About 164 centimeters (64.6 inches) of snow falls in an average year.

Source: Explore.org