Northern lights forecast tonight in Finland

The lake begins at the edge of the village and runs north-east, leaving nothing but flat ice between you and the horizon. Walk past the last houses toward the shore and the village lighting drops away quickly.

A 419-metre fell eight kilometres west of the village, with a marked trail from the road to a bare summit and a day hut just below it. The top stands well clear of the forest, with Inarijärvi and Muddusjärvi spread out below.

An eighteenth-century wilderness church in a forest clearing north-east of Inari, reached on a marked trail from the village. There is no lighting anywhere along it, and the clearing around the church leaves a clean line north.

The river runs along the northern edge of the village, a few minutes' walk from the centre and clear of most street lighting. The bank gives a low, open view to the north, which is the direction that matters.

A 438-metre fell above Saariselkä, twenty-five kilometres south, with a road and car park right at the top. The summit is bare, so the horizon is unbroken and Saariselkä's lights stay below the shoulder of the hill.

The second of the two fells local guides point to around Saariselkä, thirty-five kilometres south of Ivalo at the end of Kiilopääntie. The fell rises above the treeline with no village lighting nearby, though the summit itself needs a short climb on foot.

A wooded shore strip a short walk from the centre, with the sea open to the west and north-west and a laavu shelter to stand under. Town glow reaches here, so it works for a bright display rather than a faint band.

A low cape in a 60-hectare reserve with 2.5 km of Bothnian Bay shoreline and sea on almost every side. It lies south of Kemi, so the town's glow sits low in the north, dark overhead but compromised at the horizon.

Levi's aurora map marks the frozen lake south-west of the village as the best spot in walking range, reached from Immeltie. Stay on the marked trails, since the ice is not uniformly safe, and the flat surface gives a clean low horizon.

Tunturitie climbs to the 531-metre summit and ends at a free car park, three kilometres from the village centre. From up there the resort's lighting is below you and the northern horizon is open across the fells.

A dark pocket south-west of the centre, listed on the official aurora map with a marked winter walking trail and parking along Tuomikuruntie. It sits away from the lit ski slopes, which keeps the sky darker than in the village.

The Bothnian Bay opens from west round to north with no land in the way, which is what a low arc needs. A 1988 observation tower stands at the end of the breakwater; walk out past the lit campsite paths to escape the glare.

An undrained bog with duckboard trails, flat enough that nothing interrupts the horizon in any direction. Oulu's light dome sits fifteen kilometres behind you to the west when you face north, which is the whole point of driving out.

Rapids on the Kiiminkijoki with suspension bridges between the islands and almost no artificial light. The forest closes in, so the usable sky is over the river channels and the bare rock rather than a full horizon.

The fell east of the river rises to just over 200 metres, a twenty-five minute walk from the centre. The top clears the town's light dome and keeps the northern horizon in view, which is what matters here.

The riverside park behind the Arktikum museum, five minutes on foot from the centre, with the Ounasjoki opening the view northward. Visit Rovaniemi lists it as one of the few public spots close in where the northern sky is unobstructed.

A public lean-to shelter on the shore of Olkkajärvi, about a quarter of an hour's drive east, with open views across the lake. Visit Rovaniemi names it as a recommended spot and warns against walking out on the ice.

The fell summit at 438 m, about 120 m above the village, reached by a 1.6 km road off the E75 that is kept open all year. The ground to the north stays lower for kilometres, so even a low arc clears the horizon.

A bare fell top at 546 m, above the tree line and well clear of Saariselkä's lights. The road ends at a car park and the summit is a two-kilometre walk from there, which is a real commitment in the dark.

A rock outcrop in Käpylä, 57 m up, with the city centre behind you to the south rather than in front. You are still well inside Helsinki's light dome, so it only works when a storm pushes the aurora high and bright.

Rocky outcrops and small mires north-east of the city, which puts the Helsinki glow behind your shoulder when you face north. A half-hour bus from Tikkurila reaches the Kuusijärvi entrance, and the trails beyond it are unlit.

Lake basins and bare rock ridges thirty kilometres out, far enough that Helsinki's glow drops to a band low on the south-east horizon. The open rock above the lakes gives you sky in every direction, but a night visit really needs a car.