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Home Story Why the Aurora is Awesome in Summer
The Aurora Borealis blazes out over the landscape in the Northwest Territories

Why the Aurora is Awesome in Summer

A dogsled, a snowy trail, and the Aurora. That’s how prospective visitors imagine the Northwest Territories – a winter wonderland, bathed by glowing lights. But increasingly, Aurora-watchers are discovering that the lights are visible long before Old Man Winter arrives.

While it’s true that skygazers must stay up a bit later to enjoy the cosmic light show in early August and through September, they’re in for a treat when the sky finally turns dark enough for the Aurora to emerge. According to many, seeing the Northern Lights is best in summer.

The Aurora Borealis fills the sky and is reflected in a lake in the NWT

NORTHERN LIGHTS DANCE THROUGH THE SUMMER

The Northern Lights don’t just fire up in winter and then fizzle when summer rolls around. They’re in no way seasonal. Rather, they flash and flicker year-round, their intensity dependent entirely on unpredictable solar events. If a flare of plasma erupts from the sun, spewing charged particles toward the Earth, the Northern Lights will appear above any time of year, be it June or January. In the Northwest Territories, though, the midnight sun lights up the sky from around mid-April to late July keeping us from seeing the Aurora during this time.

Curtains of Northern Lights blaze out in the sky over a floatplane docked on a river in the NWT

GOODBYE MIDNIGHT SUN. HELLO SUMMER AURORA

In mid-June, when the everlasting midnight sun blazes in the Northern sky, you can’t really glimpse the Aurora – nor the moon or the stars. But as after summer’s peak passes , we trade one celestial show for another. By early August, the midnight sun fades and darkness creeps back to the North’s night skies. By late August, Fort Smith, at the Alberta border, enjoys four hours of pitch-blackness each night and plenty of twilight on either side. Yellowknife is inky for at least two hours, with lots of additional dusk and dawn. By late September, of course, the dark is back in force, creating prime Aurora-viewing conditions for 12 hours per night or more.

The Aurora fills the sky at Aurora Village in the NWT and is reflected in a lake

CLEAR SUMMER SKIES SET THE STAGE

While it’s true that our cold, dry winters offer crisp views of the cosmos, Yellowknife also enjoys remarkably cloudless summer skies – the clearest of any capital city in Canada. Grey days do indeed become more common as autumn approaches, but Yellowknife’s Septembers are overcast only about 30 percent of the time. Hay River, south of Great Slave Lake, is even more clear – all but 25 percent of the time in September. Only in mid to late October do the clouds roll in, causing most tourism operators to pause and resume Aurora-watching in mid-November.

The Northern Lights fill the sky over Aurora Village and lit teepees.

AURORA TOURS AREN’T JUST FOR WINTER

Our Northern Lights tour operators welcome guests during two high seasons – in summer, from August to early October, and again in winter, from November to mid-April. The tours run the gamut, from cultural experiences under the Northern Lights, to stays at fly-in wilderness lodges, or day-tours in our capital city, Yellowknife.

The Aurora fills the sky over an RV parked in a campground in the Northwest Territories

STILL SPECTACULAR IN SUMMER AND WINTER

It’s wonderful to watch the Northern Lights shimmer in a brittle-cold sky. But the summer Aurora experience is awesome too. It can take the shape of a boat tour beneath the Lights as the colours dance on the water. Or fishing, hiking, or camping as the Lights wriggle overhead. Or even basking in the coziness of a sleeping bag atop a stately outcrop of Canadian Shield, or kicking back around a crackling campfire, and enjoying summer’s balmy warmth as the heavens put on a spectacular show.

Inspired by the magic of the Aurora? Learn more about the best seasons to visit, the cultural importance of the Aurora, and available Northern Lights hunting tours. There is always another unforgettable experience to have under the best Northern Lights in the world.

Being the home of the best Northern Lights in the world is a pretty big claim, but we’ve got the facts to prove it. Before you come to see for yourself, read these 7 reasons why the NWT has the world’s best Aurora.

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Trail Blazer Tours aurora trip with the purple and green aurora in the sky over the lake and trees in Yellowknife NWT.

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Bright green aurora blast over the sky with Ji Guang Tour in Yellowknife, NWT.

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Yellowknife Online logo - Aurora Tours in the Northwest Territories.

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© Northwest Territories Tourism 2024

Land Acknowledgement

Northwest Territories Tourism acknowledges that we are located in Chief Drygeese territory. From time immemorial, it has been the traditional land of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and more recently, the homeland of the North Slave Métis Alliance. We respect the histories, languages, and cultures of Inuit, First Nations, Metis, and all First Peoples of the NWT and Canada, whose presence and cultures continue to enrich our vibrant communities.

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