How to read the aurora map

The ring on this aurora map shows the approximate edge of the auroral oval, the band around Earth's magnetic pole where the Northern Lights are typically visible overhead. It isn't a fixed shape: it expands toward the equator as geomagnetic activity rises, and contracts back toward the pole as things quiet down. "Now" draws the measured oval from NOAA's OVATION model; switch to "Explore Kp" and drag the slider to see how far the boundary reaches at different activity levels. For the deeper version, including why magnetic latitude beats map latitude and the misreadings that catch people out, read our full guide: How to read an aurora map →

Deciding where to go? Each country page compares its destinations side by side, the Kp each one needs, its magnetic latitude, its season and the month it peaks: Northern Lights in Canada, Northern Lights in Norway, Northern Lights in Sweden, Northern Lights in Finland and Northern Lights in Greenland.

What Kp means for the boundary

Kp is a 0–9 scale for how disturbed Earth's magnetic field currently is. The higher the Kp, the further from the pole, toward lower magnetic latitudes: the aurora becomes visible. A location's own magnetic latitude (not its geographic latitude) is what actually determines how much Kp it needs: Reykjavík and Fairbanks sit further from the geomagnetic pole than their map position suggests, which is why some lower-magnetic-latitude spots need more geomagnetic activity than higher-latitude ones to see the same show.

Our 20 tracked locations

Every pin on the map is one of our 20 tracked Northern Lights viewing locations, each with a page showing tonight's real forecast, live conditions, and calibrated viewing odds, including Whitehorse, Yukon, home of Northern Lights Resort & Spa. Click any pin for a quick read, or open its full forecast page for the complete picture.