Northern lights in Fairbanks in May

Alaska, United States. Figures for May 2027, calculated by us. Times are local.

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No: it never gets dark enough. In mid-May the Sun never gets more than 12° below the horizon, so the sky stays too bright to see the aurora, however active it is.

Darkness through the month

1 May: no real darkness.
15 May: no real darkness.
End of May: no real darkness. The nights are about the same through the month.

“Dark” here means the Sun is more than 12° below the horizon. Faint aurora needs a darker sky; a strong display can show earlier in the evening.

The Moon in May 2027

New Moon: 6 May 2027. The week around it has the darkest skies.
Full Moon: 20 May 2027. A bright Moon makes the aurora look fainter, though it is still there.

What to expect

Come back between September and March, when there is real darkness.
Being inland, winter nights are very cold. Dress for well below freezing.

A huge green arc of northern lights over a snowy road and a lake edged with trees — The northern lights over Bear Lake, Eielson Air Force Base, near Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo: United States Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Strang, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Get a note when it is worth going out

A short email before an eclipse, a strong meteor shower or a dark week worth planning for. No more than a few a month.

Fairbanks: the whole year. All northern lights destinations.

Sources

Darkness, sunrise and Moon phases: our calculation, Astronomy Engine 2.1.19 (MIT licence). How we worked it out.
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, Tips on viewing the aurora.