2026-09-17 · Hamnøy
Tonight at Hamnøy: aurora outlook in Lofoten (18 September 2026)
Reine, Lofoten. 11.03.2019 · Christoph Strässler · CC BY-SA 2.0.
If you head out tonight, I would start at Hamnøy. The evening looks like quite a lot of cloud there. Air around 8°C. activity is modest, the kind of night where you go out anyway if the sky is kind.
Yr only sees a quiet glow over Leknes tonight — still worth a look if the sky opens. Green in the picture is activity, grey is cloud. Kp is global; here a dark, open sky still wins.
The moon is around 36% illuminated — visible, but not a floodlight. Faint arcs will still show if you give your eyes time.
Aurora forecast for Leknes. Source: Yr / MET Norway.
Where I would wait
Clearest first. These are dark-sky stops hunters actually use — a little away from village and harbour lights.
- Gimsøy — Flat, dark, and a wide sky. Often clearer than the steep west fjords. quite a lot of cloud.
- Hamnøy — Steep peaks and water — strong photos when the sky is actually clear. quite a lot of cloud.
- Reine — Iconic peaks. Walk a few minutes out of the harbour lights before you wait. quite a lot of cloud.
- Haukland — Open beach next to Uttakleiv. Easy to move if cloud sits on one bay only. quite a lot of cloud.
A few things that help
Watch the cloud more than the Kp number. Walk a few hundred metres away from lights, and give your eyes a quiet quarter of an hour — a phone screen resets the clock.
On the E10, pull into a marked meeting bay (M) if you meet someone. Do not stop in the road. Aurora is never a promise; a hole in the cloud is still the real ticket.
Sources
Aurora chart: Yr / MET Norway (Leknes). Planetary Kp: NOAA SWPC. Cloud at each stop: MET Norway. Road camera: Statens vegvesen. The photo is from an approved, credited place — not a promise for tonight.
A map that updates through the night: nordlysvarsel.com
