Northwest Territories, Canada · Aurora guide
Northern lights
in Yellowknife.
Explore northern lights activity around Yellowknife, on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake. See how this Northwest Territories destination lines up with the current auroral oval.
Coming soon for iPhone and Android
Activity model · not a sighting guarantee
The same NOAA aurora model used in the Aurora Signal app. Readings refresh every five minutes.
Take the next step with Aurora Signal
Make the most of
your Yellowknife nights.
The map shows aurora activity. The app brings your local outlook and favorite places together, so you can decide when to look up.
- Find a time worth considering.Explore activity, clouds, and darkness together in your Premium outlook.
- Keep your skies close.Save Yellowknife and the other places you care about for your next visit.
- Look beyond one location.Explore the aurora map and surrounding skies from your phone.
The app is getting ready for launch. Some planning features require Premium. Aurora sightings are never guaranteed.
Follow your curiosity north
Keep exploring.
Explore nearby skies and other aurora destinations.
A little sky knowledge
The northern lights
in Yellowknife.
Yellowknife is closely associated with aurora watching in Canada’s north. Its geographic latitude is lower than several Scandinavian destinations, but the auroral oval follows Earth’s magnetic field rather than a simple line of geographic latitude.
The map’s timestamps use UTC so you can compare data across destinations. They are not local Yellowknife clock times. Check the displayed observation time when returning to the map later in the evening.
Destination reference: Northwest Territories Tourism
Model and forecast explanation: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
Why is Yellowknife an aurora destination at a lower latitude than Tromsø?
The auroral oval is organized around the geomagnetic poles, which are offset from the geographic poles. Geographic latitude alone is not enough to compare aurora activity between Canada and Scandinavia.
When is the northern lights season in Yellowknife?
Dark nights in fall and winter. This is a guide to the darker part of the year, not a prediction for a particular night. Aurora activity changes throughout the year.
How far ahead does the map forecast?
NOAA’s OVATION product provides a short-term outlook, typically around 30–90 minutes depending on solar wind conditions. It is not a forecast for the whole night. Check the forecast timestamp and return for a fresh reading.