Northern lights forecast tonight in Norway

The town quay at the north end of the settlement is the last point inside the zone where no polar bear protection is required. Adventfjorden opens due north in front of you, though this is a working port with its own lighting.

On the eastern edge of town, a shoreline street a quarter-hour from the centre and well inside the safe zone. Through the polar night, mid-November to late January, it is dark enough for aurora at midday as well as after dark.

Guided aurora trips run east out of town along Vei 400 into a wide, flat valley with no settlement lighting at all. It lies outside the marked safety zone, so this is a guided trip rather than a solo drive.

A hill rising straight above the town, about 210 m up and topped by a telecoms mast. Reckon on an hour's walk in snow; the height clears the rooftops but Alta's glow is directly beneath, so it suits a strong display.

Five kilometres down the E6 from town, a low hill above the rock-art site with Altafjorden open to the north in front of you. Far enough out that the centre's lights sit behind your shoulder, though the road below adds glare.

A café on Rønvikfjellet at around 150 m, with a road to the door and open views north toward the sea. On a cold night you can watch from the car, which tells you how exposed the top is.

From the Turisthytta car park it is 2.2 km on foot to the 366 m cairn, or four along the gravel NATO-veien. The height puts you clear of Bodø's light dome, with the sea filling the northern horizon.

Photographers use this sand bay on the peninsula's north coast for its low light pollution and open horizon, ten minutes out on Midnattssolveien. Sea level and fully exposed to the north, so dress for the wind.

Ten minutes up the Sikksakkveien from the centre brings you to the viewpoint at about 83 m. Big sky and an open north, though Hammerfest's streetlights and the Melkøya gas flare sit along the bottom of the view.

The road north-east to Forsøl is what the tourist board names as the local aurora run, for its lack of light pollution. Wide sea view straight north from the beaches at the end, with Melkøya's flare behind you.

A low hill a kilometre south-east of the centre, marked as a viewpoint, with the town below and Bøkfjorden's open water beyond to the north. Close in, so the streetlights still count against you.

Eight kilometres south-west of town and clear of the Kirkenes light dome, this valley is where the snow resort runs its own aurora nights. There is no useful bus; you need a car or the resort's transfer.

Walk twenty minutes west and the centre's streets give way to the waterfront, with Ofotfjorden opening away from the Fagernesfjellet wall behind town. The lighting is still with you, so it works best when the arc is bright and high.

Thirteen kilometres up the E6 at the head of Herjangsfjorden, far enough out that Narvik's glow no longer reaches you. Open water and a broad valley floor give the low sky room, which a town at the foot of a mountain cannot.

A 367 m hill on the north-west corner of Gimsøya, reached by a 2 km path from the Lofoten Links car park, with open ocean to the north. Svolvær's own northern sky is walled off by mountains; this is where it opens.

The old fishing islet just east of the centre, joined by the 359 m Svinøybrua and ten minutes' walk from the square. You get open water and a low sea horizon, though the town's lights are still with you.

A lake on the high ground of the island, about twenty minutes uphill from the centre. Not truly dark, but clear of the worst of the town, and the spot locals actually use on a weeknight.

A beach at the southern tip of the island with open sea west, south and east, and little artificial light. Bus 33 stops there.

The cable-car viewpoint at about 420 m, high above the town's light and looking back across it to the north. Check the last departure before relying on it.

The little cove on the Lade headland, reached on foot along Ladestien - the fjord gives you a properly dark northern horizon with the city lights at your back. Locals call it the easy option when the forecast looks decent: half an hour's walk from the centre, or a bus to Lade and a few minutes down to the water. Bring a headlamp for the trail and a thermos, because you'll be standing still.

The Bymarka choice when you want out of the light dome entirely: park at Skistua and walk the last kilometre up, and from the top you see far in every direction, well above the treeline. A bus runs to Skistua if you're carless, though check the evening timetable. In winter the track is icy - locals mean it about spikes and a headlamp.

The fortress park above Bakklandet, ten minutes' walk up from the centre - this is where you go when the aurora surprises everyone mid-evening and there's no time to drive. The rise gets you above the rooftops with open sky toward the fjord. City light washes out the weak displays, so save it for the strong outbursts and head for Lade or the marka when you can plan ahead.

The lake at the edge of Nordmarka, a short walk north from the T-bane terminus, with open water due north and forest cutting the side glare. At 60°N you need a real storm, and the aurora sits low on that northern horizon.

Grefsenkollveien climbs to a hilltop 378 m above a city that sits near sea level. The famous view faces south-west over Oslo, so turn your back on it and look north into Lillomarka, which is the dark side.

Eleven kilometres north of the centre, the valley above the reservoir is the best-oriented dark ground near the city. Keep to the roads and paths; the lake is Oslo's drinking water and its shoreline is protected.