Northern lights forecast tonight in Greenland
3 towns across Greenland, each with tonight's chance from NOAA's Ovation model, updated every 15 minutes. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole, and every town here needs Kp 1 before your eyes pick anything up.
Tonight the sky is dark for 7.7 hours in Ilulissat and 8.5 in Nuuk.
Best tonight
Ilulissat
Ilulissat has the strongest chance in Greenland right now, at 5%.
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Every town in Greenland tonight
| Town | Chance now | Your eyes need | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilulissat | 5% | Kp 1 | Auroras likely tonight |
| Kangerlussuaq | 5% | Kp 1 | Auroras likely tonight |
| Nuuk | 4% | Kp 1 | Auroras likely tonight |
Faint aurora looks gray to your eyes and green to a phone. In Greenland a phone picks it up from about Kp 1, and your eyes need Kp 1.
Aurora is possible in Greenland from late August to mid-April. The sky has to be dark and clear. Clouds stop everything, and no camera gets around that.
Where people actually stand in Greenland
Places locals and guides name, with what each one gives you. Every town below has its own page.
Ilulissat
Sermermiut
2 km south-west · walkable
An old Inuit settlement site at the end of the boardwalk, with the icefjord opening to the south. Ilulissat sits this far north of the auroral oval, so the display often stands to the south or overhead — over the ice rather than behind you.
Ilulissat Isfjordscenter
1 km south · walkable
The Icefjord Centre's curved wooden roof is a public walkway and the start of the boardwalk, about 54 m up and pointed south at the fjord. The building keeps short winter hours, though the roof and boardwalk are outdoor structures rather than parts of it.
Seqinniarfik
2 km south · walkable
A marked viewpoint at the south end of the Red Route, around 73 m and the highest of the walkable spots in town. The ground falls away toward the icefjord, which is the dark side and the side the aurora tends to occupy.
Kangerlussuaq
Punkt 660
32 km north-east · car
The end of the ice-sheet road, 36 km out and 496 m up, where the ice cap begins and no light source stands in any direction. Most of it is gravel, so a four-wheel drive or a guided trip is the realistic way out.
Tasersuatsiaq (Lake Ferguson)
5 km south-east · car
A long lake south-east of the settlement with the access road starting almost at the edge of town, and a broad open horizon once the buildings are behind you. Treat the frozen surface as unsafe unless someone local says otherwise.
Old Camp
2 km west · walkable
The former American base west of the runway, close enough to reach on foot and far enough from the airport apron to get its floodlights out of your eyes. Some of the side roads here are marked private, so keep to the public ones.
Nuuk
Quassussuaq (Lille Malene)
5 km east · car
The ski hill by the airport, about 440 m, which Visit Nuuk names outright for watching the aurora over the town. The climb follows the lift line and is unlit once it closes around six, so bring a headtorch and expect snow underfoot.
Inuk Hostels
2 km north · walkable
A shoreline site on the Nuussuaq peninsula, named by Visit Nuuk as a place to watch from, with the Davis Strait open to the west and north-west. Close enough to walk, and bus route 2 runs there every forty minutes late on.
Qinngorput
3 km east · bus
Visit Nuuk points at the bus stop called Stanislavs Plads on the road out to this eastern district, where the road runs along the water with the town behind. Route 1 goes there every forty minutes and runs until midnight.
Questions about the northern lights in Greenland
Where in Greenland is the best place tonight?
Ilulissat has the strongest chance right now at 5%. The list above reorders itself every 15 minutes, so the answer changes through the night.
What Kp do you need to see the northern lights in Greenland?
Kp 1, the same for every town here. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole.
When is the best time of year in Greenland?
Aurora is possible from late August to mid-April, because the nights are long enough to be properly dark. A clear sky matters more than the forecast number.
Can an iPhone photograph the northern lights in Greenland?
Yes, from about Kp 1. A phone picks up aurora that is too faint for your eyes. Rest it on something steady and give it a long exposure. What looks gray to you comes out green on the phone.
Aurora possible over Ilulissat tonight — be ready to film it.
When you're finally standing in the cold under the night you've waited years for, there are no retakes — the sky does its show once and moves on. So pack the jacket, pack the thermos, and pack the one thing that makes the night eternal: the iOS astrophotography app built for auroras. Long after the trip, you'll still have the display itself, moving, in 4K.
- ✦ Set it down and it arms itself
- ✦ 4K timelapse + a still from the session
- ✦ Aurora intelligence tunes every capture
- ✦ Tracks the aurora live — no extra app
- ✦ Apple Watch companion
- ✦ Pay once, own it forever