Northern lights in Ilulissat tonight and this season

1Aurora over Ilulissat right now

2The Kp index Ilulissat needs

Ilulissat lies at 69.2° N, which is 77.3° N geomagnetic latitude on the WMM2025 dipole. NOAA's viewing tips put the edge of the auroral oval at about 66° geomagnetic for Kp 0 and move it about 2° closer to the equator with each Kp level, down to 48° at Kp 9. At 77.3° N Ilulissat is inside the oval before any storm begins, so the cards on this site use Kp 1, the lowest value they show. The city is near the poleward edge of the oval: on quiet nights the arc often stands to the south, and a moderate Kp brings it overhead. NOAA also notes that aurora can often be observed hundreds of kilometres equatorward of the oval's edge, so a bright display can show low on the northern horizon one Kp level earlier.

3Kp forecast for the next 3 days

Data: NOAA SWPC. Slots before now are NOAA estimates, the rest are predicted values.

4When the sky over Ilulissat is dark enough

The aurora needs a dark sky as much as it needs Kp, and darkness is a matter of latitude and date. Fully dark nights in Ilulissat (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 16 September to 27 March. From 12 April to 30 August the sky never gets darker than nautical twilight, so only a strong display shows, low on the horizon. The polar night lasts from 30 November to 11 January, 43 days with the sun below the horizon all day, when the aurora can show in the afternoon. The midnight sun lasts from 20 May to 23 July, 65 days. Dates are an own calculation from the sun's declination for the latitude of Ilulissat, with the US Naval Observatory definitions of twilight, and can be a day off at the edges. Clouds and moonlight are the other half of the question: the home page shows the moon phase for each of the next 27 days.

5Why Greenland for the northern lights

Greenland has the highest geomagnetic latitudes on this site because the magnetic pole sits over the Canadian Arctic, close by. Ilulissat, next to the UNESCO-listed icefjord, and the capital Nuuk both lie deep inside the oval. Nuuk opened an international airport in November 2024, which shortens the trip from Europe and North America.

All places in Greenland with their odds tonight.

6Ilulissat compared with the other places in Greenland

The table lists both places in Greenland on this site. Both need Kp 1.

7Northern lights tours in Ilulissat

No guided aurora tour from Ilulissat passes the catalogue filter of 4.3 stars and 20 reviews yet. The aurora probability above does not depend on tours: a dark spot outside the lights of the town is the first thing to find.