SKY · AURORA · CANADA
Aurora Forecast — Yellowknife
Yellowknife is a auroral zone location — it sits under the auroral oval — the aurora appears overhead on most clear, active nights, not just during big storms.
It doesn't get dark enough tonight
At Yellowknife's latitude and time of year the sky never reaches true darkness tonight — even a strong aurora would be lost in the lingering twilight. This is the midsummer trade-off for far-northern places; the aurora season returns as the nights draw in.
Sources: Kp from NOAA SWPC · cloud from Open-Meteo · Moon & darkness computed · viewing threshold from Yellowknife's geomagnetic latitude (IGRF). Figures update through the night.
How tonight's verdict is worked out for Yellowknife
Most aurora trackers show you a single number — the Kp index — and leave the rest to you. Seeing the aurora actually depends on five things, and we weigh all of them for Yellowknife:
- Where Yellowknife sits — its geomagnetic latitude is about 69°, which sets the Kp it needs (almost any active night).
- How active the field is — the live Kp index, right now 1.0.
- Cloud cover — thick cloud hides the lights completely; this is usually the factor that decides the night.
- Darkness — the aurora is invisible in twilight, and in far-northern midsummer the sky may never get truly dark.
- The Moon — a bright Moon washes out a faint display (a strong one still shows through).
Only when the activity reaches the level Yellowknife needs andthe sky is clear and dark do we call it “likely.” If something's holding the night back, the verdict says which.
Seeing the northern lights from Yellowknife
On a promising night, get away from street lighting, give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt, and look toward the northern horizon. A faint grey-green arch to the naked eye often shows up far more vividly through a phone or camera on a long exposure.
Yellowknife right now
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