Explore Fairbanks Announces Aurora and Midnight Sun Tracker
IMAGES On January 24, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., during the Fairbanks Interior Tourism Conference, Explore Fairbanks unveiled the Aurora and Midnight Sun Tracker, an addition to the Explore Fairbanks website. The aurora borealis and the midnight sun are two natural phenomena that are integral to Fairbanks and draw visitors from around the world. The Aurora Tracker provides real-time and three-day forecasts of northern lights data correlated to six different locations. The Midnight Sun Tracker will calculate the number of daylight hours any time of year for three different locations. Explore Fairbanks President & CEO Deb Hickok said, “This mechanism is a one-of-a-kind digital invention especially created for aurora chasers in the Fairbanks region.” The Aurora Tracker utilizes these data streams in order to predict aurora viewing opportunities. Users can toggle between viewing locations, to see viewing change for different days and time of days. Chasers are encouraged to check back often as this data changes frequently. Fairbanks is a premier northern lights viewing location worldwide because of its rare position under the “Auroral Oval,” a band over the North and South Poles where aurora activity is concentrated. During Aurora Season, August 21 through April 21, if visitors to the Fairbanks area spend three nights actively searching the night sky for the aurora they have a 90% chance of seeing this extraordinary natural phenomenon. Visit explorefairbanks.com to access the Aurora and Midnight Sun Tracker, which is compatible with all devices including smartphones, tablets and desktops.