Alberta, CanadaMagnetic latitude 58.7°Population 3,9481,062 m above sea level
Northern lights in Jasper
From Jasper the aurora is visible on most active nights — first low to the north-north-east, from about Kp 2.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 20:08.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Only in photos, if at all
- Solar activity Enough for a camera: Kp 1.7 expected, 0.3 needed for photos, 2 for the eye.
- Sky Mostly clear (31% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 20:08 to 07:07.
What to do: Point a phone in night mode north-north-east (3–10 s exposure). A red or green glow often shows on the screen before you can see it.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 1.7 Unlikely · Kp 1.7
- Sat 17 1.7 Photos only · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Sun 18 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Mon 19 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 Good chance · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 Good chance · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Fri 23 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Sat 24 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Sun 25 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Mon 26 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 27 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Wed 28 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Thu 29 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sun 1 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Mon 2 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 3 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 Possible · Kp 3
Tuesday 20 October — Possible · Kp 2 · best around 01:00 · Forecast cloud: 60%. · Reliability: low (rough trend)
Each box is one night: the colour shows the chance, the number the expected Kp. Tap a night for details.
📅 Add these nights to your calendar — it updates itself (.ics)
How far ahead can the northern lights be forecast?
- Minutes to an hour: satellites 1.5 million km away measure the solar wind before it reaches Earth. This is the surest warning — the “Right now” box uses it.
- 1–3 days: when the Sun throws out a cloud of particles, it takes one to three days to arrive. NOAA's 3-hourly forecast covers these nights; the timing can still be off by a few hours.
- 4–27 days: the Sun turns once every 27 days, and regions that disturbed Earth's field last time often do it again. NOAA's 27-day outlook gives this rough trend — new eruptions are not in it yet.
Tonight
Updated 07:42 local time
Unlikely
Best around 07:00. Forecast max Kp 1.7 (this place needs 2), average cloud 31%.
- Dark enough
- 20:08 – 07:07
- Sunset
- 18:54 · sunrise 08:22
- Moon
- 31% · ↑ 15:24 · ↓ 21:50
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 2
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 0.3 (a red glow low in the north-north-east).
- Look towards
- north-north-east (18°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Tonight's cloud forecast is similar in every direction within 100 km (79% here), so driving is unlikely to help.
MET Norway forecast at 24 points within 100 km, averaged over the dark hours. Check roads and conditions before driving.
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Jasper
Facing north-north-east. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Visible to the north-north-east | 12° | 23° | 423 km |
| 3 | Visible to the north-north-east | 27° | 44° | 200 km |
| 4 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 5 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 6 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 7 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
The Kp scale in plain words
Kp is a 0–9 score for how strongly the Earth's magnetic field is being shaken by the solar wind. The higher it goes, the further from the poles the northern lights reach. Kp 0–2 is a quiet night; Kp 5 and above is a geomagnetic storm.
- Kp 0–2 Quiet next 24 h eye in Jasper camera in Jasper Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
- Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
- Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) Central Europe to the eye; red sky in photos from northern Italy, Spain, the Balkans and Turkey's Black Sea coast.
- Kp 9 Extreme storm (G5) Seen across Europe and the US; in photos as far south as the Mediterranean, Turkey and North Africa (May 2024).
Light pollution
Suburban sky. Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-north-east. Open in OpenStreetMap
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
The terrain rises to about 6° above the horizon towards the north-north-east. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 2 instead of Kp 2. A hilltop, shore or open field with a clear view to the north-north-east helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Jasper
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (27% of nights), followed by April (25%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 27% | 49% | 8.6 h | 1° / 12°C |
| October | 20% | 38% | 10.8 h | -5° / 4°C |
| November | 16% | 26% | 12.5 h | -12° / -4°C |
| December | 16% | 28% | 13.4 h | -17° / -9°C |
| January | 18% | 32% | 12.9 h | -16° / -8°C |
| February | 22% | 36% | 11.4 h | -17° / -7°C |
| March | 21% | 36% | 9.5 h | -13° / -3°C |
| April | 25% | 47% | 7.1 h | -8° / 1°C |
Aurora nights in Jasper since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 7 September 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 6.3
- 18 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 17 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 1 April 2026 · Kp 5.0
Where to watch near Jasper
-
Pyramid Lake and Pyramid Island
Lake at the base of Pyramid Mountain just above town; the island gives an open sky view and Pyramid Road is open year-round. · about 7 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Maligne Canyon
Canyon area just outside town that is quiet and dark at night. · about 9 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Medicine Lake viewpoint (Maligne Road)
Remote lake about 25 km from town with little artificial light, where the aurora has been seen. · about 26 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Athabasca Falls
Waterfall area south of town on the Icefields Parkway with mountain foregrounds and dark skies. · about 32 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Jasper National Park was designated a Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2011.
- At this latitude auroras need moderate to strong geomagnetic activity, so sign up for alerts and watch for clear nights.
- Local tourism advice suggests midnight to 2 am as a good window, and winter brings the most hours of darkness.
- Lakes with an open northern view such as Pyramid Lake or Medicine Lake help you escape townsite lights.
- Check Parks Canada road restrictions before heading out, since several minor park roads have seasonal vehicle closures.
Lake Annette/Edith Road and Old Fort Point Road have seasonal vehicle closures, and Cavell Road is closed November 1 to May 15 for caribou conservation; check Parks Canada or dial 511 for current status.
Footbridges and trails can be icy in winter, and wildlife such as elk and bears is active at night; keep your distance and carry a light.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Whitecourt Airport (YZU) · 207 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 1° / 12°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 911
- Winter driving
- Rules are provincial: Québec requires winter tyres (mountain-snowflake symbol or studded) on Québec-registered vehicles Dec 1–Mar 15, and BC requires winter tyres or chains on signed routes Oct 1–Mar 31 (to Apr 30 on mountain passes/high-snowfall routes); road conditions via 511 Yukon (511yukon.ca), DriveNWT (drivenwt.ca), 511 Alberta, Manitoba 511 (manitoba511.ca) and DriveBC. Road conditions
- Access to land
- There is no national right to roam; private land requires the owner's permission, while national/provincial parks and Crown land are generally accessible subject to park rules, which vary by province and territory.
- Official space-weather service
- Space Weather Canada (Natural Resources Canada)
- Weather service
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (weather.gc.ca)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Jasper?
From Jasper the aurora is visible on most active nights — first low to the north-north-east, from about Kp 2.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Jasper?
Face north-north-east (about 18° from true north). At Kp 2 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 12° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Jasper?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Jasper (27% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by April (25%).
When is the aurora season in Jasper?
Jasper gets dark enough for the aurora all year round, though the long winter nights give the most hours to watch.
Is there much light pollution in Jasper?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-north-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Jasper?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Jasper on 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0) — 869 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Jasper share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Henry House 1 km
- Jasper 6 km