Inuvik

Northwest Territories, Canada

Aurora should be overhead

Conditions put this location inside the auroral oval rather than at its edge. With clear, dark skies you should see it high up rather than only near the horizon — look straight up as well as north.

Green traces how far the aurora reaches at Kp 0.3. The white marker is Inuvik.

Kp now0.3

Needed here0

Forecast windows above Kp 0

Sat 03:00 · Kp 3Sat 06:00 · Kp 2.33Sat 09:00 · Kp 2.67Sat 12:00 · Kp 3

Geomagnetic latitude

71.1°

Inuvik sits at 68.4° geographic, but the oval is centred on the magnetic pole.

Overhead at

Kp 0

The storm strength that puts the auroral oval directly above you.

Cloud tonight

68%

Heavy cloud will hide most of the sky. Worth checking a nearby clear spot.

Dark from

23:44

Sun rises again at 06:18. Aurora peaks near magnetic midnight.

Seeing the aurora from Inuvik, Northwest Territories

The auroral oval is a ring centred on Earth's magnetic pole, not the geographic one. That is why Inuvik — at 68.4° geographic latitude — behaves like a 71.1° location as far as aurora is concerned. A higher Kp pushes the ring further from the pole, and the number you need is set entirely by that geomagnetic figure.

From here, aurora starts to clear the northern horizon at around Kp 0, and reaches directly overhead at around Kp 0. Find a spot with an unobstructed view north and away from street lighting. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust, and remember that a camera picks up colour long before the naked eye does.

Common questions

Can you see the aurora borealis from Inuvik, Northwest Territories?: Yes, during strong enough geomagnetic activity. Inuvik, Northwest Territories sits at about 71.1° geomagnetic latitude, so aurora becomes visible low on the northern horizon at around Kp 0, and appears overhead at around Kp 0.
What Kp index is needed to see the aurora in Inuvik?: About Kp 0 for a display low on the horizon, and about Kp 0 for aurora directly overhead. Kp is a planetary index, so the number you need depends on your geomagnetic latitude rather than your position on a map.
When is the best time to look for the aurora in Inuvik?: Aurora is most active around magnetic midnight, roughly 22:00–02:00 local time. You need a genuinely dark sky, so the hours between 23:44 and 06:18 are the window tonight. Clear skies matter as much as the Kp number.

Get alerted when aurora reaches Inuvik

We'll email you when the Kp index is forecast to pass 0 — the threshold for Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Nothing else.

Nearby locations

Dawson City, Yukon Deadhorse, Alaska Coldfoot, Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Healy, Alaska Whitehorse, Yukon

All aurora locations Global aurora dashboard 3-day Kp forecast

Kp index and forecast from NOAA SWPC. Cloud cover and sun times from Open-Meteo. Geomagnetic latitude uses the IGRF-14 dipole for epoch 2025.

Seeing the aurora from Inuvik, Northwest Territories

Common questions

Can you see the aurora borealis from Inuvik, Northwest Territories?

Yes, during strong enough geomagnetic activity. Inuvik, Northwest Territories sits at about 71.1° geomagnetic latitude, so aurora becomes visible low on the northern horizon at around Kp 0, and appears overhead at around Kp 0.

What Kp index is needed to see the aurora in Inuvik?

About Kp 0 for a display low on the horizon, and about Kp 0 for aurora directly overhead. Kp is a planetary index, so the number you need depends on your geomagnetic latitude rather than your position on a map.

When is the best time to look for the aurora in Inuvik?

Aurora is most active around magnetic midnight, roughly 22:00–02:00 local time. You need a genuinely dark sky, so the hours between 23:44 and 06:18 are the window tonight. Clear skies matter as much as the Kp number.