Clear skies mean more chances to see Alaska's northern lights

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The Aurora Borealis peeks its head over the mountains near Girdwood, Alaska on Feb 2, 2014.

Photographing Alaska's aurora borealis may seem daunting, but it's a fun, family-friendly activity that also encourages everyone to get outdoors.

The most common considerations to keep in mind include location, forecast watching, camera handling, speed settings and exposure times. Read more in our handy explainer on How to Photograph the Northern Lights.

When setting your camera exposure time to seconds, keep in mind that oftentimes fractional seconds are indicated with the " sign and full seconds have no corresponding punctuation. So a 15th of a second will appear as 15", and 15 seconds will appear as 15.

Here's a list of other common mistakes to avoid.