Read first: safe aurora hunting
About this spot
| Getting there | 25 km from Sortland, about 35 min by carThe drive time is an estimate. Allow more time in bad weather, and check the road conditions before you go. |
|---|---|
| Without a car | noThere is no way there and back in the evening by bus, train or on foot with at least an hour at the spot. |
| Sky | darkHow much artificial light brightens the northern sky at the map point. |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 66.2° |
| Map point | 68.5631, 14.9064 |
Do you live nearby? Tell us if this spot causes trouble.
Aurora season
In the middle of Vesterålen the nights are dark enough for aurora from about 29 August to 12 April.
Dark hours month by month, polar night and how often it is clear around Vesterålen
How we check this
The score and the sky are for the map point. We rate the northern sky because faint aurora usually appears there. We measure the light from satellite images of night lights, and the score accounts for it.
We checked Entur's winter timetables for a weekday and a Saturday on 14 October 2026.
We work out drive times on OpenStreetMap's roads at about 80% of the speed limit, a careful winter pace, and round them up to 5 minutes.
We work out the aurora season dates for the middle of Vesterålen and use them for all our spots around Vesterålen.
Nearest road cameras
Statens vegvesen's road cameras update every 5 minutes. Check the sky and the road before you set off.
Other spots nearby (straight-line distance)
- Sortland centre · 25 km · some town light
- Austnesfjorden · 29 km · very dark
- Svolvær Airport · 37 km · some town light
- Gimsøy Church · 38 km · very dark