Northern lights in Fairbanks: which night?
Short answer: The darkest, most moon-free nights in Fairbanks over the next 30 days are 5 Nov, 6 Nov, 7 Nov, 8 Nov. Aurora also needs clear skies and enough geomagnetic activity (about Kp 1 or more here), which can only be forecast about three days ahead.
Cold, dry continental air gives many clear nights; Chena Hot Springs is the classic base.
Live aurora forecast (next 3 nights)
Loading NOAA forecast…
Planetary Kp from NOAA SWPC, updated every few hours.
Mon 2 Nov to Tue 1 Dec 2026
Darkest night: Thu 5 November 2026
Dark 18:13–07:00 · 11.7 h without the moon · moon 8% lit
| Night of | Dark (sun below −12°) | Hours | Moon-free | Moon | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov | 18:21–06:53 | 12.7 | 6.2 | 34% | 90 |
| Tue 3 Nov | 18:18–06:55 | 12.7 | 8.2 | 24% | 95 |
| Wed 4 Nov | 18:16–06:58 | 12.8 | 9.8 | 15% | 98 |
| Thu 5 Nov | 18:13–07:00 | 12.8 | 11.7 | 8% | 100 |
| Fri 6 Nov | 18:11–07:03 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 4% | 100 |
| Sat 7 Nov | 18:08–07:06 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 1% | 100 |
| Sun 8 Nov | 18:06–07:08 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 0% | 100 |
| Mon 9 Nov | 18:03–07:11 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 2% | 100 |
| Tue 10 Nov | 18:01–07:13 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 5% | 100 |
| Wed 11 Nov | 17:59–07:16 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 9% | 100 |
| Thu 12 Nov | 17:56–07:18 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 15% | 100 |
| Fri 13 Nov | 17:54–07:21 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 22% | 100 |
| Sat 14 Nov | 17:52–07:23 | 13.7 | 12.3 | 31% | 98 |
| Sun 15 Nov | 17:50–07:26 | 13.7 | 10.3 | 40% | 95 |
| Mon 16 Nov | 17:48–07:28 | 13.8 | 8.7 | 50% | 90 |
| Tue 17 Nov | 17:46–07:31 | 13.8 | 7.0 | 59% | 84 |
| Wed 18 Nov | 17:44–07:33 | 13.8 | 5.3 | 69% | 77 |
| Thu 19 Nov | 17:42–07:35 | 14.0 | 3.8 | 78% | 69 |
| Fri 20 Nov | 17:40–07:38 | 14.0 | 2.0 | 86% | 59 |
| Sat 21 Nov | 17:39–07:40 | 14.2 | 0.2 | 93% | 49 |
| Sun 22 Nov | 17:37–07:42 | 14.2 | 0.0 | 98% | 46 |
| Mon 23 Nov | 17:35–07:44 | 14.2 | 0.0 | 100% | 45 |
| Tue 24 Nov | 17:34–07:46 | 14.3 | 0.0 | 99% | 45 |
| Wed 25 Nov | 17:32–07:48 | 14.3 | 0.0 | 96% | 47 |
| Thu 26 Nov | 17:31–07:50 | 14.3 | 0.0 | 90% | 50 |
| Fri 27 Nov | 17:29–07:52 | 14.5 | 0.0 | 82% | 55 |
| Sat 28 Nov | 17:28–07:54 | 14.5 | 2.3 | 72% | 67 |
| Sun 29 Nov | 17:27–07:56 | 14.5 | 4.5 | 62% | 77 |
| Mon 30 Nov | 17:26–07:58 | 14.7 | 6.5 | 50% | 85 |
| Tue 1 Dec | 17:25–08:00 | 14.7 | 8.3 | 39% | 91 |
Tours
Fairbanks northern lights by month
Questions
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Fairbanks?
From September to March, on clear nights with little moonlight. The hours around local midnight are usually best. Cold, dry continental air gives many clear nights; Chena Hot Springs is the classic base.
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Fairbanks?
Fairbanks sits under the auroral oval, so even Kp 1 can show aurora on a clear night; Kp 3 or more often brings it overhead.
Does the full moon stop you seeing the northern lights?
No, strong aurora is visible under a full moon, but faint displays and photos are much better on dark, moonless nights.
Darkness means the sun is more than 12° below the horizon. The score weighs dark hours and moonlight; it cannot include clouds or solar activity. Times are local (America/Anchorage).