Aurora Borealis in Ottawa
Canada · 45.41°, -75.70° · geomagnetic 54.7° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Ottawa
3%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Ottawa needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.0. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
Local aurora guide for Ottawa
Ottawa is located at 54.7° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible when the planetary Kp index reaches 7 or higher.
Based on historical data, there are approximately 3.2 nights per year in Ottawa where conditions are suitable for aurora viewing.
The record span for this data is from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Ottawa are May, September, and August.
These months align with periods of darker skies, increasing the chances of observing the aurora.
Ottawa experiences a Bortle 6 sky brightness. Areas with less light pollution may offer better viewing.
Darker skies, such as Bortle 4 conditions, can be found approximately 38 km north near Val-des-Monts.
Bortle 5 conditions are available about 36 km east-north-east near Clarence-Rockland. Local features like Baie Squaw, Cummings Island, Green Island, Ruisseau de la Brasserie, and Parc Moussette are nearby.
Nearby geographic features include Baie Squaw, located 3.0 km west-north-west of Ottawa.
Cummings Island is situated 3.1 km north-east of Ottawa.
Green Island is 3.2 km north of Ottawa, while Ruisseau de la Brasserie is 3.6 km north. Parc Moussette is 4.1 km west-north-west of Ottawa.
There have been 57 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Ottawa between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
The data indicates approximately 3.2 viable aurora nights per year.
Notable qualifying nights within the record span include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67), November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33), and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: Revon location dataset · Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Ottawa forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Ottawa.