Sudbury

Ontario, Canada

Aurora is unlikely tonight

Conditions are below the threshold for this location. Kp needs to reach about 5.3 before aurora clears the horizon here — that is 5 higher than right now.

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

Kp now0.3

Needed here5.3

Geomagnetic latitude

55.7°

Sudbury sits at 46.5° geographic, but the oval is centred on the magnetic pole.

Overhead at

Kp 7.3

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

Cloud tonight

83%

Solid cloud cover. Even a strong display will be invisible from here.

Dark from

20:33

Sun rises again at 06:24. Aurora peaks near magnetic midnight.

Seeing the aurora from Sudbury, Ontario

The auroral oval is a ring centred on Earth's magnetic pole, not the geographic one. That is why Sudbury — at 46.5° geographic latitude — behaves like a 55.7° 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 5.3, and reaches directly overhead at around Kp 7.3. 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 Sudbury, Ontario?: Yes, during strong enough geomagnetic activity. Sudbury, Ontario sits at about 55.7° geomagnetic latitude, so aurora becomes visible low on the northern horizon at around Kp 5.3, and appears overhead at around Kp 7.3.
What Kp index is needed to see the aurora in Sudbury?: About Kp 5.3 for a display low on the horizon, and about Kp 7.3 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 Sudbury?: Aurora is most active around magnetic midnight, roughly 22:00–02:00 local time. You need a genuinely dark sky, so the hours between 20:33 and 06:24 are the window tonight. Clear skies matter as much as the Kp number.

Get alerted when aurora reaches Sudbury

We'll email you when the Kp index is forecast to pass 5.3 — the threshold for Sudbury, Ontario. Nothing else.

Nearby locations

Timmins, Ontario Toronto, Ontario Traverse City, Michigan Ottawa, Ontario Buffalo, New York Rochester, New York

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 Sudbury, Ontario

Common questions

Can you see the aurora borealis from Sudbury, Ontario?

Yes, during strong enough geomagnetic activity. Sudbury, Ontario sits at about 55.7° geomagnetic latitude, so aurora becomes visible low on the northern horizon at around Kp 5.3, and appears overhead at around Kp 7.3.

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

About Kp 5.3 for a display low on the horizon, and about Kp 7.3 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 Sudbury?

Aurora is most active around magnetic midnight, roughly 22:00–02:00 local time. You need a genuinely dark sky, so the hours between 20:33 and 06:24 are the window tonight. Clear skies matter as much as the Kp number.