Watch the Fairbanks sky, live.
The University of Alaska's all-sky camera sees the whole sky over Interior Alaska at once, with a fresh frame every few seconds after dark. Rewind the last 30 minutes, or the whole night.
The camera is asleep.
It only runs when the sky is dark.
How to read the sky camera
Four things to look for. Once you know them, a glance tells you whether it's worth stepping outside.
The usual start. A pale band at the bottom of the circle that slowly brightens and climbs. Give it time; it can turn into a show within minutes.
Bright bands that ripple, fold or race across the circle mean an active display. If you're under a clear sky, go out now.
Pinpoint stars across the circle mean clear sky over the camera. A smooth gray or blotchy glow with no stars is cloud, even if the aurora is lighting it up from above.
A bright glare or a washed-out sky is usually the Moon. The aurora is still there; the camera just shows less contrast.
Weather cams across Interior Alaska
Public FAA weather cameras at airports, highways and ridgetops, refreshed about every 10 minutes. They're the quickest way to see how cloudy it is around the region in daylight and twilight. Tap any view to look closer.
Weather cams: FAA WeatherCams, an advisory weather product. Frames are collected by SkyCommand and shown with their real time.
Fairbanks aurora cam · questions
Is there a live aurora camera in Fairbanks?
Yes. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute runs an all-sky camera at its Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks. It photographs the whole sky at once and posts a new frame every few seconds whenever the sky is dark. This page shows it live, with time-lapses of the last 30 minutes and of tonight.
Why is the aurora camera dark or showing a placeholder?
The camera only runs when the sky is dark, roughly when the Sun is more than 6 degrees below the horizon. In daylight and bright twilight it sleeps, and this page shows when it should wake up. From late April to mid-August Fairbanks nights never get dark enough, so the camera stays off for the summer.
How do I read an all-sky aurora camera?
The circle is the whole sky seen from below: the center is straight overhead and the edge is the horizon. On the Poker Flat camera north is at the bottom, where the aurora usually first appears as a glowing arc. Sharp stars mean clear sky; a smooth gray glow with no stars means cloud.
Does the camera see more than my eyes?
Yes. A camera collects light for several seconds, so it shows faint aurora and stronger color than the eye can see. Tap the eye button for the "Your eyes" view, roughly how the same sky looks to a person standing outside. Bright aurora is obvious to the eye; faint aurora can look like a pale gray-green cloud. Why photos look more colorful.
Is the aurora out right now?
If the live camera shows bright green bands, arcs or curtains, the aurora is out over Interior Alaska right now. What you can see from where you stand depends on your own clouds and darkness. ANN's Tonight page gives the call for the whole night, updated every 5 minutes.