Page 11 - 2018 ALASKA NORTHERN NIGHTS LIGHTS

Another night and more hope!? We went to bed early with optimism.

And sure enough, Gordon knocked on our door to invite us out for the

show around 10:30 p.m. Struggling into our cumbersome and heavy

winter gear, we stumbled out with flashlights and cameras and tripods.

Making our way down the steep hillside timorously, we reached the

first area Gordon suggested for viewing. Well, then he tells us that
what we will be seeing is what is called a "basic" aurora. No dancing

lights, no light-filled sky.

Instead, what did we see with the naked eye? A band of white light

along the horizon just above the tree-tops. Some light pollution from
Fairbanks was also visible to our left. Only when we looked at the

scene thru the camera lens did we see the broad band of green light

with a narrower band of maroon light above that. Stars were bright and

seemed maybe a bit more exciting than the glowing static bands.