FAQ

Is aurora borealis viewing best with a moon or no moon?

We like moonlight because it lights up the foreground and makes the sky a deep blue instead of pitch black like with no moon. We watch the lunar phase very carefully to allow for best light compositions for photography.

How to photograph the Northern Lights?

For starters set the camera on a tripod, adjust the ISO setting up to 800 or 1600, set the f-stop wide open (lowest number like f2.8) and start bracketing the exposure times. Try 5 seconds, 10 seconds and 20 seconds. If the picture is still black and underexposed then try 30 seconds and keep raising the ISO until something shows up on your LCD monitor.

What is the best month for Aurora Borealis Viewing?

In northern regions like the Yukon, the best time to view the aurora is from late August to mid-April. During the summer months the night skies are not dark enough to see the aurora borealis even at times when the solar wind activity is strong. In midwinter the temperatures may fall to the minus 40 degree range and it is important to wear appropriate winter clothing (please see “winter clothing packages”) to enjoy the displays.

Three Day - Aurora Weather Forecast

Whitehorse (Canada)

Rental Clothing

Yukon Climate

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.0
(50)
11.7
(53.1)
16.8
(62.2)
21.8
(71.2)
34.1
(93.4)
34.4
(93.9)
33.2
(91.8)
31.6
(88.9)
26.7
(80.1)
19.3
(66.7)
13.3
(55.9)
10.6
(51.1)
34.4
(93.9)
Average high °C (°F) −11.0
(12.2)
−7.7
(18.1)
−0.7
(30.7)
6.6
(43.9)
13.5
(56.3)
19.1
(66.4)
20.6
(69.1)
18.5
(65.3)
12.1
(53.8)
4.2
(39.6)
−6.0
(21.2)
−8.5
(16.7)
5.1
(41.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −15.2
(4.6)
−12.7
(9.1)
−6.3
(20.7)
1.0
(33.8)
7.3
(45.1)
12.3
(54.1)
14.3
(57.7)
12.6
(54.7)
7.2
(45)
0.5
(32.9)
−9.4
(15.1)
−12.5
(9.5)
−0.1
(31.8)
Average low °C (°F) −19.2
(−2.6)
−17.6
(0.3)
−11.9
(10.6)
−4.6
(23.7)
1.0
(33.8)
5.6
(42.1)
8.0
(46.4)
6.7
(44.1)
2.1
(35.8)
−3.2
(26.2)
−12.9
(8.8)
−16.5
(2.3)
−5.2
(22.6)
Record low °C (°F) −56.1
(−69)
−51.1
(−60)
−42.2
(−44)
−30.6
(−23.1)
−12.9
(8.8)
−6.1
(21)
−2.2
(28)
−8.3
(17.1)
−19.4
(−2.9)
−31.1
(−24)
−47.2
(−53)
−48.3
(−54.9)
−56.1
(−69)
Average mm (inches) 17.8
(0.701)
11.8
(0.465)
10.3
(0.406)
7.0
(0.276)
16.3
(0.642)
32.4
(1.276)
38.1
(1.5)
35.8
(1.409)
33.3
(1.311)
23.2
(0.913)
20.1
(0.791)
16.3
(0.642)
262.3
(10.327)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.3
(0.012)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
1.2
(0.047)
14.3
(0.563)
32.4
(1.276)
38.1
(1.5)
35.5
(1.398)
29.0
(1.142)
8.8
(0.346)
1.0
(0.039)
0.4
(0.016)
160.9
(6.335)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 25.4
(10)
18.3
(7.2)
14.8
(5.83)
7.2
(2.83)
2.0
(0.79)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.3
(0.12)
4.7
(1.85)
18.6
(7.32)
27.0
(10.63)
23.5
(9.25)
141.8
(55.83)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 11.2 8.3 6.4 4.4 8.0 10.9 13.5 12.5 11.9 11.5 11.5 11.2 121.2
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.2 0.1 0.1 1.1 7.5 10.9 13.5 12.4 11.0 5.1 0.8 0.3 62.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 11.9 9.1 7.0 3.8 1.2 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.5 7.9 12.4 12.2 67.4
Average relative humidity (%) 72.2 64.5 51.8 42.1 38.2 39.9 46.0 47.9 54.5 64.2 75.2 74.7 55.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 43.8 105.5 163.2 238.5 251.1 266.7 247.6 226.5 132.7 84.9 39.8 26.8 1,827.1
Percent possible sunshine 21.4 41.6 44.8 54.4 46.8 46.9 43.8 46.4 34.1 27.0 17.8 14.9 36.7