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Checking the NOAA OVATION feed

Region

Northern lights in Alaska

Answer

This page compares Glow's two featured Alaska towns. Both sit inside SWPC's 60 to 75 degree best-viewing band, both get NWS cloud forecasts, and both lose civil darkness around the June solstice.
2
Glow towns

The towns side by side

Alaska: geomagnetic latitude, storm level and darkness, 2026
TownDipoleEdge overhead atTypical G levelDec 15 nightNo civil nightDark season
Fairbanks65.7°Kp 1No storm (Kp 1)17.2 hMay 13 to July 28266 days
Anchorage61.9°Kp 3No storm (Kp 3)16.3 hJune 2 to July 8290 days
Dipole latitude from IGRF-14. Edge: SWPC's 66 minus 2 per Kp rule. Storm needed: none at 60 degrees or more, G1 or less from 55 to 60, else the first NOAA level whose typical latitude reaches the town. Darkness from SunCalc; dark season is Glow's 4 evening hours bar.

What the numbers say about Alaska

In Alaska, Fairbanks sits highest on the dipole at 65.7 degrees and Anchorage lowest at 61.9, a spread of 3.7 degrees or about 415 km. By SWPC's oval-edge rule that means Kp 1 for Fairbanks and Kp 3 for Anchorage.

On December 15 civil night runs from 17.2 hours in Fairbanks to 16.3 in Anchorage. On June 15 the same towns have 0.0 (Fairbanks), 0.0 (Anchorage).

Fairbanks has no civil darkness from May 13 to July 28; Anchorage has no civil darkness from June 2 to July 8.

Of Glow's 7 featured US towns, only the two in Alaska can have the oval's average edge overhead at Kp 3 or below. By SWPC's rule of thumb the edge is at 66 degrees geomagnetic at Kp 0 and 60 degrees at Kp 3. Alaska time is also set well east of the sun's position in both towns, so solar midnight falls after 00:00 on the clock, and after 01:00 while daylight saving is on.

Month pages for these towns

Questions

Is Fairbanks or Anchorage better for the northern lights?
Fairbanks sits higher on the geomagnetic dipole and needs a lower Kp for the oval's edge to reach it. Anchorage keeps its dark season a few weeks longer. See the full comparison.
Does Glow show cloud cover for Alaska?
Yes. Both towns are inside NWS coverage, so the place pages show gridpoint skyCover.
What Kp do towns in Alaska need?
By SWPC's oval-edge rule: Fairbanks Kp 1, Anchorage Kp 3.
When is it too light for aurora in Alaska?
Fairbanks: May 13 to July 28. Anchorage: June 2 to July 8.
Which town in Alaska has the longest December night?
Fairbanks, with 17.2 hours of civil night on December 15.

Sources and verification

Quoted figures last checked against their sources on 2026-09-30; next review 2026-12-31. Computed figures come from SunCalc and the IGRF-14 dipole as described in the methodology. Every quote is listed in the sources ledger.