Frequently asked
Is tonight good for stargazing at Kluane?
The live score above pulls today's forecast and runs it through StarCast's scoring model, factoring in cloud cover, moon illumination, Bortle class, humidity, and atmospheric transparency. Above 70 is an excellent night. Below 40, conditions are poor. The score updates daily.
What makes Kluane good for astrophotography?
Kluane National Park in the southwestern Yukon contains Canada's highest peaks and the largest non-polar icefields in the world. The park is deeply remote: Whitehorse is 160 kilometers to the east, and the Alaska Highway corridor to the north is sparsely developed. Light pollution is essentially nonexistent across the park's 22,000 square kilometers. The Kluane Lake area along the highway offers accessible shooting positions with open northern views, while the St. Elias Mountains provide dramatic icy backdrop. At 61 degrees north, the aurora borealis is the primary night sky draw: Kluane sits well within the auroral oval and sees major displays frequently during active solar periods.
When is the Milky Way visible at Kluane?
The galactic core is faintly visible in late August and September, the only window when astronomical darkness returns after the summer solstice at this latitude. The core stays low in the southern sky and is not the primary reason to visit for night photography. Aurora season runs from late August through April, with the darkest and most active displays typically falling in September through March. The autumn equinox period (late September) is historically among the most geomagnetically active times of year, and Kluane's clear, dark skies make even minor events spectacular.
