Comparison
Saskatoon vs Prince Albert for the northern lights
Answer
Side by side
| Figure | Saskatoon | Prince Albert |
|---|---|---|
| Dipole latitude | 59.4° | 60.6° |
| Kp for the oval edge overhead | Kp 4 | Kp 3 |
| Civil night, December 15 | 14.8 h | 14.9 h |
| Dark-season days | 365 | 365 |
| Nights with no civil darkness | 0 | 0 |
| Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER | 64% | 66% |
| Solar midnight, December 15 | 01:02 | 00:58 |
Saskatoon sits at 59.4 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 4, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less. Prince Albert sits at 60.6 degrees geomagnetic, inside SWPC's 60 to 75 degree band, where aurora can be seen on more than half of all nights. No storm is needed: by SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 3.
Civil night month by month
On December 15 Saskatoon has 14.8 hours of civil night and Prince Albert 14.9. Across the 15th of each month, Saskatoon is darker in 5 months and Prince Albert in 5. The widest gap comes in June, when Saskatoon has 0.4 more hours.
| Month | Saskatoon | Prince Albert | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.3 h | 14.4 h | -0.1 h |
| February | 12.7 h | 12.8 h | -0.1 h |
| March | 10.9 h | 10.9 h | +0.0 h |
| April | 8.7 h | 8.6 h | +0.1 h |
| May | 6.7 h | 6.5 h | +0.2 h |
| June | 5.5 h | 5.1 h | +0.4 h |
| July | 6.1 h | 5.8 h | +0.3 h |
| August | 8.0 h | 7.8 h | +0.2 h |
| September | 10.1 h | 10.1 h | +0.0 h |
| October | 12.1 h | 12.2 h | -0.1 h |
| November | 13.9 h | 14.0 h | -0.1 h |
| December | 14.8 h | 14.9 h | -0.1 h |
Season and midnight sun
Saskatoon has some civil darkness every night of 2026, and clears Glow's 4-hour dark-season bar every evening. Prince Albert has some civil darkness every night of 2026, and clears Glow's 4-hour dark-season bar every evening.
Distance, cloud and time zones
The two towns are 133 km apart by great circle. In the dark months Saskatoon averages 64% cloud and Prince Albert 66%, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Saskatoon's best month by civil night times clear sky is January. Prince Albert's best month by civil night times clear sky is January. Time zones: America/Regina and America/Regina.
For tonight, open the live pages for Saskatoon and Prince Albert, which carry the live OVATION cell.
Questions
- Is Saskatoon or Prince Albert better for the northern lights?
- Prince Albert sits closer to the oval, at 60.6 degrees geomagnetic against 59.4. Darkness, cloud and your dates decide the rest; the tables on this page show both towns month by month.
- Which has longer nights in December, Saskatoon or Prince Albert?
- Prince Albert, with 14.9 hours of civil night on December 15 against 14.8 in Saskatoon.
- What Kp do Saskatoon and Prince Albert need?
- By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Saskatoon needs about Kp 4 and Prince Albert Kp 3 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
- When is it too light for aurora in Saskatoon and Prince Albert?
- Saskatoon: never, every night has civil darkness. Prince Albert: never, every night has civil darkness.
- Which is clearer, Saskatoon or Prince Albert?
- Saskatoon, with 64% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 66% in Prince Albert (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).
Sources and verification
- IGRF-14 coefficients, NOAA NCEIhttps://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/coeffs/igrf14coeffs.txt
- SunCalchttps://github.com/mourner/suncalc
- GeoNameshttps://www.geonames.org/export/
- NASA POWER climatologyhttps://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/climatology/
- NOAA SWPC, Tips on viewing the aurorahttps://www.spaceweather.gov/content/tips-viewing-aurora
Quoted figures last checked against their sources on 2026-09-30; next review 2026-12-31. Computed figures come from SunCalc and the IGRF-14 dipole as described in the methodology. Every quote is listed in the sources ledger.