Whether you'll see the aurora is mostly a question of magnetic latitude — how far you sit from the geomagnetic pole, which is not the same as how far north (or south) you live. These guides do that math honestly for 40 places: the Kp each one actually needs, where locals go to watch, and a live verdict computed from NOAA's feeds when you open the page.
"Aurora from" below is the activity level that puts aurora on the poleward horizon from a dark site — high or overhead displays typically need about two Kp steps more. Cameras catch it roughly one storm class before your eyes do. The live 3D sky runs the full photo-validated model for any point on Earth; these are the honest rules of thumb.
| Guide | Magnetic lat. | Aurora from | Anchor spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 66° | quiet ok | Cleary Summit, north of Fairbanks |
| Washington | 55° | G2 storm | The Okanogan Highlands near Republic |
| Oregon | 51° | G4 storm | The high desert near Maupin, south of The Dalles |
| Idaho | 51° | G4 storm | The Stanley Basin in the Sawtooths |
| Montana | 55° | G1 storm | St. Mary, on the east side of Glacier National Park |
| Wyoming | 52° | G3 storm | The Lamar Valley in northern Yellowstone |
| North Dakota | 56° | G1 storm | The prairie north of Minot |
| South Dakota | 54° | G2 storm | Sica Hollow and the glacial hills near Sisseton |
| Minnesota | 57° | G1 storm | The Gunflint Trail out of Grand Marais |
| Wisconsin | 55° | G1 storm | Bayfield and the Apostle Islands shore |
| Michigan | 56° | G1 storm | Copper Harbor at the tip of the Keweenaw |
| Iowa | 52° | G3 storm | The bluff country near Decorah |
| Illinois | 51° | G3 storm | The hill country around Galena, far from Chicago's dome |
| New York | 53° | G2 storm | Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks |
| Vermont | 54° | G2 storm | Island Pond in the Northeast Kingdom |
| New Hampshire | 54° | G2 storm | Pittsburg and the Connecticut Lakes region |
| Maine | 56° | G1 storm | Aroostook County near Presque Isle |
| Massachusetts | 52° | G3 storm | Salisbury Beach and the North Shore marshes |
| Pennsylvania | 51° | G4 storm | Cherry Springs State Park |
| Ohio | 51° | G4 storm | Headlands Beach on Lake Erie |
| Colorado | 48° | G5 superstorm | The Pawnee National Grassland |
| Guide | Magnetic lat. | Aurora from | Anchor spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 60° | Kp 3+ | Elk Island National Park, east of Edmonton |
| Saskatchewan | 62° | Kp 2+ | La Ronge and the lake country |
| Manitoba | 67° | quiet ok | Churchill, on Hudson Bay |
| Ontario | 57° | G1 storm | The Lake Superior shore near Thunder Bay |
| Quebec | 55° | G2 storm | The Mont-Mégantic dark-sky reserve |
| British Columbia | 59° | Kp 4+ | Prince George and the Nechako plateau |
| Yukon | 64° | Kp 1+ | The Takhini valley outside Whitehorse |
| Northwest Territories | 69° | quiet ok | The Ingraham Trail east of Yellowknife |
| Guide | Magnetic lat. | Aurora from | Anchor spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 69° | quiet ok | Þingvellir National Park |
| Norway | 68° | quiet ok | Tromsø and the surrounding fjords |
| Sweden | 66° | quiet ok | Abisko National Park |
| Finland | 64° | Kp 1+ | Rovaniemi and Finnish Lapland |
| Scotland | 61° | Kp 3+ | Dunnet Head on the Caithness coast |
| Ireland | 58° | Kp 4+ | Malin Head, County Donegal |
| England | 57° | Kp 4+ | Kielder Forest, Northumberland |
| Denmark | 58° | Kp 4+ | Grenen, the northern tip at Skagen |
| Guide | Magnetic lat. | Aurora from | Anchor spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tasmania | 52° | G3 storm | Goat Bluff on the South Arm peninsula, south of Hobart |
| Victoria | 49° | G4 storm | Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula |
| New Zealand | 50° | G4 storm | The Otago Peninsula near Dunedin |
The live observatory gives a viewing verdict for anywhere — click your spot on the globe or use 📍 on the tonight page, and free push alerts can watch your exact latitude for you. The field guide to seeing the aurora covers the craft: darkness, eyes, moon, and patience.
Revisit the great storms: Gannon, May 2024 · October 2024 · November 2025 · St Patrick's 2015 · Halloween 2003 · Carrington 1859 — each with a replay you can stand inside.
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