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Where to stand
Drive out of the lit area of the airport and settlement, for example on the road towards Lake Ferguson, and stop where the car can stand safely. Look south and up to the zenith, and north too during a strong storm. Local guides take visitors to darker spots.
View towards the pole
Tundra and low hills all round, with the sky open to the south as well
Sky darkness (Bortle scale): 3
Rules and safety
Outside the settlement phone coverage is weak or absent, and winter temperatures fall below minus 30 °C, so do not go alone and tell someone where you are going. Do not go onto the ice sheet without a guide. On the tundra, do not drive off the roads.
About the spot
Kangerlussuaq is a settlement around the airport, a former US base, at the head of a long fjord in West Greenland, about 25 km from the edge of the ice sheet. The climate is dry, and local guides speak of about 300 clear nights a year. The geomagnetic latitude is about 75°, which puts it north of the usual auroral oval, so the aurora is often seen in the southern sky or overhead.
Do not miss the next window
The best windows last a few hours: after a storm, after rain, on a clear night with an active Sun. Sign up and we will email you when the index at your spots goes above 60.