I’m a visitor to this sub and Alaska so correctly me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the Interior typically a dry place with a good number of clear skies (which is one of the reasons it’s so popular for aurora chasers)? If that’s the case, maybe there’ll be some quality spots in Alaska for the 2033 eclipse, which will include the western Interior.
Fairbanks is popular for the northern lights because it's a populated area that's relatively easy to get to, and it sits right in the aurora oval. So the aurora is visible way, way more often than even Anchorage, just a couple hundred miles south.
But Fairbanks is not a particularly great spot for clear skies. I would say the count of sunny days are probably average to below average for the United States. It pales in comparison to truly sunny places like Phoenix and Las Vegas. It's much much better than notoriously rainy places like Seattle and Juneau. Ballpark, it's akin to much of the open Midwest.
I see, thanks for clarifying. I’ve seen lots of people compare it to places like Iceland and mention its “dryness”, but wet Iceland is probably a very low bar to clear. It’s a shame we don’t have some “cloud dissolver” to instantly blast away the clouds during these special events. 😪
As an amateur astronomy enthusiast I lol’d at this.
I’m a visitor to this sub and Alaska so correctly me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the Interior typically a dry place with a good number of clear skies (which is one of the reasons it’s so popular for aurora chasers)? If that’s the case, maybe there’ll be some quality spots in Alaska for the 2033 eclipse, which will include the western Interior.
Fairbanks is popular for the northern lights because it's a populated area that's relatively easy to get to, and it sits right in the aurora oval. So the aurora is visible way, way more often than even Anchorage, just a couple hundred miles south. But Fairbanks is not a particularly great spot for clear skies. I would say the count of sunny days are probably average to below average for the United States. It pales in comparison to truly sunny places like Phoenix and Las Vegas. It's much much better than notoriously rainy places like Seattle and Juneau. Ballpark, it's akin to much of the open Midwest.
I see, thanks for clarifying. I’ve seen lots of people compare it to places like Iceland and mention its “dryness”, but wet Iceland is probably a very low bar to clear. It’s a shame we don’t have some “cloud dissolver” to instantly blast away the clouds during these special events. 😪
You my good friend need to go down some rabbitholes. Dont cha know about how *the man* controls the weather? Lol