galaxosCan you see the northern lights in Ilulissat? Yes, on quiet, clear, dark nights. Ilulissat sits at the northern edge of the band where aurora appears, so it doesn't need a solar storm, and a strong one pushes the aurora south of here. The best months are October to March, when the nights are darkest.
Clouds will likely hide the aurora tonight
The activity is there, but cloud is forecast over every dark hour, 98% on average, with no clear spell. A clearer spot nearby may do better.
As of 17:16 Ilulissat time. Updated every 15 minutes.
No storm needed this far north. The ring sits over Ilulissat on quiet nights, moves south of here as Kp rises, and is out of sight above about Kp 6. Kp 1.7 is NOAA's forecast peak for tonight's dark hours here. Latest reading Kp 0.7 (15:00–18:00 UTC).
Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how stirred up Earth's magnetic field is. The higher it goes, the further from the poles aurora reaches. More about Kp
Cloud over every dark hour, with no clear spell in the forecast. Even a strong display will be hidden. A clearer spot nearby may do better. Right now it's 99%.
The number is the average over tonight's dark hours; the verdict is judged hour by hour, so one clear evening does not hide an overcast midnight. Even a strong aurora is invisible through solid cloud.
Dark until 08:05. Aurora is usually best around midnight.
Dark enough means the sun is well below the horizon, which is later than sunset. At high latitudes in summer it never gets there.
This far north, the aurora ring sits south of you tonight. Its inner edge is close enough to show low in the southern sky. Quieter nights bring it overhead; stormier ones push it further away.
Aurora appears in a ring around Earth's magnetic pole. The higher the Kp, the wider the ring grows. Inside it, aurora can show anywhere in the sky; outside it, you would see it low toward the north, if at all. Ilulissat is so far north that a rising Kp moves the ring the other way, south of here.
A guide, not a guarantee: aurora can beat the forecast or fall short of it, so don't plan a trip on this alone.
NOAA expects Kp above 6 on each of the next 3 nights, which moves the ring south of Ilulissat and out of sight.
| Day | From | Kp | Sky here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 13 | 16:00 | 1.7 | Daylight |
| Fri 13 | 19:00 | 1.7 | Night |
| Fri 13 | 22:00 | 1.7 | Night |
| Sat 14 | 01:00 | 1.7 | Night |
| Sat 14 | 04:00 | 1.3 | Daylight |
| Sat 14 | 07:00 | 1.3 | Daylight |
| Sat 14 | 10:00 | 1.3 | Daylight |
| Sat 14 | 13:00 | 1.3 | Daylight |
| Sat 14 | 16:00 | 1.7 | Daylight |
| Sat 14 | 19:00 | 1.3 | Night |
| Sat 14 | 22:00 | 1.7 | Night |
| Sun 15 | 01:00 | 1.3 | Night |
| Sun 15 | 04:00 | 1.3 | Daylight |
| Sun 15 | 07:00 | 1.3 | Daylight |
| Sun 15 | 10:00 | 1.3 | Daylight |
| Sun 15 | 13:00 | 1.3 | Daylight |
| Sun 15 | 16:00 | 1.7 | Daylight |
| Sun 15 | 19:00 | 1.7 | Night |
| Sun 15 | 22:00 | 3.3 | Night |
From April to August the sky over Ilulissat never gets fully dark, so aurora season runs October to March, with about 15 hours of real darkness a night.
What is Kp? A number from 0 to 9 for how stormy space weather is. Most nights are 1 to 3. At 5 or more it's a storm, and the northern lights spread much further south. More about Kp
Kp index and forecast from NOAA SWPC. Cloud cover and sun times from Open-Meteo. Kp history from GFZ Potsdam (CC BY 4.0). Magnetic latitude is AACGM-v2, epoch 2026.