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Aurora by month · 2027

Northern lights in August

Answer

August reopens the dark season across the far north. On August 15, 2027, Buffalo has the most civil night of the 10 Glow towns at 8 h 58 min, and Tromsø the least at 0 min. The median is 7.4 hours. Tromsø has no civil darkness at all that night.

Best destinations in August

Across Glow's 168 month-page towns, Kelowna scores highest for August at 4.6 clear-dark hours: 8.3 hours of civil night on the 15th with 45% mean cloud. The median town scores 1.8. The score multiplies civil night by the clear share of NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 cloud average; it compares places, it does not forecast.

Top 20 month-page towns for August, by civil night times clear share
TownCountryCivil nightCloudScore
KelownaCanada8.3 h45%4.6 h
MinneapolisUnited States8.8 h49%4.5 h
SeattleUnited States8.5 h48%4.4 h
FargoUnited States8.6 h49%4.4 h
Portland, MaineUnited States8.9 h52%4.3 h
DuluthUnited States8.6 h52%4.1 h
KamloopsCanada8.2 h50%4.1 h
LethbridgeCanada8.3 h51%4.1 h
WinnipegCanada8.3 h52%4.0 h
BuffaloUnited States9.0 h56%4.0 h
ReginaCanada8.2 h53%3.9 h
Greater SudburyCanada8.6 h56%3.8 h
SaskatoonCanada8.0 h54%3.7 h
Trois-RivièresCanada8.7 h59%3.6 h
CalgaryCanada8.1 h56%3.6 h
Red DeerCanada8.0 h57%3.4 h
QuébecCanada8.6 h60%3.4 h
LloydminsterCanada7.8 h57%3.4 h
EdmontonCanada7.8 h58%3.3 h
Prince AlbertCanada7.8 h58%3.3 h
All 168 towns in August

August 2027 at 10 towns

Civil night on the 1st, 15th and last night of August 2027, with astronomical night and moon-free darkness on the 15th
TownAug 1Aug 15Last nightAstronomical, 15thMoon-free, 15th
Buffalo8 h 21 min8 h 58 min9 h 44 min6 h 21 min16 min
Portland, Maine8 h 15 min8 h 54 min9 h 41 min6 h 14 min17 min
Minneapolis8 h 6 min8 h 46 min9 h 36 min6 h13 min
Duluth7 h 52 min8 h 36 min9 h 29 min5 h 40 min12 min
Seattle7 h 45 min8 h 31 min9 h 26 min5 h 30 min7 min
Anchorage4 h 32 min6 h 13 min7 h 59 min0 min0 min
Yellowknife3 h 55 min5 h 51 min7 h 45 min0 min0 min
Reykjavik2 h 44 min5 h 13 min7 h 24 min0 min16 min
Fairbanks2 h 9 min5 h7 h 17 min0 min0 min
Tromsø0 min0 min5 h 46 min0 min0 min
Civil night: sun at or below -6 degrees; astronomical: -18. Each town links to its full month page with every night.

What August means for aurora

By the end of August every Glow town has civil night again. Tromsø's first dark nights arrive mid-month, and Fairbanks, Reykjavik and Yellowknife pass Glow's dark-season bar of 4 evening hours early in the month. Nights grow quickly toward the September equinox, the other season SWPC favors.

Tromsø changes fastest across August: 0 min of civil night on the 1st and 5 h 46 min on the last night, a gain of 5.8 hours.

The moon in August 2027

In UTC dates, the new moon falls on Aug 2 and Aug 31 and the full moon on Aug 17. Local dates can differ by a day; each town's month page uses its own time zone.

SWPC says a full moon diminishes the apparent brightness of the aurora. Nights near the new moon give the darkest background. The moon planner shows every night of August for any coordinates, and the moon guide explains how Glow counts moon-free darkness.

Questions

When do the northern lights come back in August?
The aurora never leaves; darkness does. Civil night returns in late July at Fairbanks and Reykjavik and in mid-August at Tromsø.
Which town has the longest nights in August?
Buffalo, with 8 h 58 min of civil night on August 15, 2027, of the 10 Glow towns.
When is the full moon in August 2027?
On August 17, 2027 (UTC date). Local dates can differ by a day.
Does August have an equinox or solstice?
No. The nearest are in June and September.
How many Glow towns are dark in August?
9 of 10 have civil night on August 15, 2027.

Sources and verification

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.