Northern lights Henningsvær tonight

The headland southwest of Henningsvær gives an open Arctic sea horizon to the north and northwest, away from the village lights. Bortle Class 1-2 from the headland rocks. The classic Henningsvær aerial-photograph position - looking back at the village on its islands with the football pitch and bridges below - is also one of the better aurora viewpoints since the camera faces north with the village silhouette in the foreground. In practice, the headland is the cleaner aurora position: no street lighting and a full northern horizon over the Vestfjorden.

The harbour at Henningsvær is built on a series of small islands connected by narrow bridges. At night the boat masts and water surface give reflection foreground when aurora is active overhead. The harbour faces north-northeast over open water toward the Svolværgeita peaks. Henningsvær has minimal street lighting and is small enough that the harbour night sky is substantially darker than a mainland town. The cod drying racks on the quay give additional foreground interest during winter. Bortle Class 2-3 from the waterfront. Useful for low-effort observations from within the village when conditions are favourable.

Gimsøya is the island immediately northwest of Vestvågøy, connected by a short bridge and reached via the E10. The north-facing coastline gives open Vestfjorden horizon with no settlement to the north or northwest. Bortle Class 2 conditions from the beach. At Kp 2-3, aurora appears above the open water to the north. Accessible by the sealed road across Gimsøya. The western beaches of Gimsøya face into the Vestfjorden with the Lofoten Wall mountains behind - a less frequented alternative to the busier spots around Henningsvær and Svolvær.