Q: My 84-year old mother wants to see the northern lights—she lives in California, and I’m in Oregon. What's the best way for us to do that (she's not physically able to get too adventurous)? A cruise? And what time of year is best? —Lorraine

A: The best time to see these natural light displays— aurora borealis, and also called northern lights—is winter.

While you can potentially see them all over the state, people who are serious about viewing them tend to go to Fairbanks, up north and inland, and even take excursions several hours north from there, offered by operators such as Northern Alaska Tour Company. It’s not adventure travel per se, but the excursions can be long and can get a little remote. If you can get in and out of a van or plane easily (NATC does both flight and van-based tours), you should be fine with Northern Alaska Tour Company, though they’re happy to talk to travelers about any comfort issues before booking. (For people who want to stay a little closer to Fairbanks, the Aurora Borealis Lodge, just outside the city, is a nice choice, too.)

If you’re planning a cruise or summer vacation to Alaska, you can also catch sight of them late at night during September. Some people mistakenly think that the glow of city lights are northern lights, but the real thing starts as greenish bands that move in east-west direction, then sometimes evolve into undulating waves that look kind of like softly blowing curtains.

Another good time to catch them is during March, in the event you come up for our Fur Rondy or Iditarod dogsled race and winter festival.

We have a great page on the Northern Lights on Alaska.org, including video footage of actual auroras, and where you can learn more tips (including such aurora-watching lingo as “solar time”). Also, check out our page on Fairbanks lodging. Good luck!