Concept preview. Not indexed. Facts are checked against the sources listed on each page.
Can you see the Milky Way core in Alaska's national parks?
No. At Alaska's latitudes the center of the Milky Way never climbs more than 2.4 degrees above the horizon, and at 4 of the 8 parks it stays below the horizon altogether. In summer, when the core is in the sky, there is no full darkness. In winter there is plenty of darkness, but the core is below the horizon.
2.4°
Highest the core gets, at Katmai
-6.7°
Lowest, at Gates of the Arctic
8
National park units covered
10°
Height needed to count as visible
Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark and Wrangell-St. Elias all sit between 59 and 68 degrees north. The core is in the southern part of the sky, about 29 degrees south of the celestial equator. From a latitude of 58.6 degrees north that puts it just 2.4 degrees up at its highest, and only during the weeks when the Sun is close to it.
| Park | Latitude (north) | Highest the core gets | Nights with full darkness in 2027 | Months with full darkness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denali National Park & Preserve | 63.3 | -2.2° | 225 | Aug to Apr |
| Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve | 67.8 | -6.7° | 201 | Sep to Mar |
| Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve | 58.8 | 2.3° | 251 | Aug to Apr |
| Katmai National Park & Preserve | 58.6 | 2.4° | 251 | Aug to Apr |
| Kenai Fjords National Park | 59.8 | 1.2° | 244 | Aug to Apr |
| Kobuk Valley National Park | 67.4 | -6.3° | 203 | Sep to Mar |
| Lake Clark National Park & Preserve | 60.6 | 0.5° | 239 | Aug to Apr |
| Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve | 61.4 | -0.4° | 235 | Aug to Apr |
Full darkness means the Sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon at some point in the night.
What you can see instead
The parts of the Milky Way that are well placed from Alaska are the fainter northern and winter stretches, which run through Cassiopeia, Perseus and Auriga. They are high in the sky on dark autumn, winter and spring nights. Most visitors who come for the night sky in these parks come for the aurora, which has its own forecasts and is not part of this calculation.
See the parks where the core is visible.
Sources and method
- Positions of the Sun and galactic center calculated for each park's latitude and longitude, using the same formulas as the other park pages. The core is counted as visible above 10 degrees.
- Park locations: National Park Service API.