Norway · Aurora borealis
Is the aurora visible in Ålesund tonight?
Right now
Maybe — stay ready.
Kp is 2.0. Ålesund needs Kp 4+ for the oval overhead — right now it’s low on the northern horizon.
Tonight's peak is forecast around Kp 4.7 (Active). The forecast still depends on darkness, cloud and the moon at your exact spot.
Reliable about 30 minutes ahead — cloud decides the rest.
Ålesund sees the aurora on moderately active nights — it needs roughly Kp 4+ for the northern lights to come into view. Here's tonight's live space weather and how to plan around it.
How to see the aurora from Ålesund
Face north and find a clear, low horizon in that direction. Everything else — dark skies, adapted eyes, the camera trick — is the same anywhere on Earth, so it lives in the how to photograph the aurora guide.
When can you see the northern lights in Ålesund?
Aurora season in Ålesund runs roughly September – March. Here the months that pay off are September, October, and March — the table below shows why. See the full best time to see the aurora guide for the season in detail.
Ålesund by the numbers
Between Sep 1, 2025 and Aug 31, 2026, Ålesund had 310 nights dark enough for the aurora, and the planetary Kp reached the Kp 4+ this place needs on 118 of them. Averaged over 2015–2024 and this location's cloud cover, that works out to about 22 aurora-possible nights a year, most of them in September, October, and March.
| Month | Dark hours per night | Dark nights | Average cloud cover | Aurora-possible nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.8 h | 31 | 81% | 1 |
| February | 13.3 h | 28 | 78% | 1 |
| March | 10.5 h | 31 | 74% | 3 |
| April | 7.3 h | 30 | 65% | 3 |
| May | 3 h | 23 | 71% | 2 |
| June | 0 | 0 | 71% | 0 |
| July | 0 | 14 | 75% | 1 |
| August | 5.8 h | 31 | 73% | 2 |
| September | 9.5 h | 30 | 74% | 4 |
| October | 12.3 h | 31 | 74% | 3 |
| November | 15.3 h | 30 | 74% | 2 |
| December | 16.5 h | 31 | 84% | 1 |
Sources: the sun's geometry (dark = at least 6° below the horizon), GFZ Potsdam's Kp index 2015–2024 (CC BY 4.0), ERA5 cloud cover via Open-Meteo (the table shows the monthly mean; the estimate counts days that were not overcast). An estimate for comparing places and months, not a forecast — how we estimate this.
Where to watch near Ålesund
Get out of the city lights and find a clear view to the north. These are places near Ålesund that locals and aurora chasers use. Distances and drive times are from the city centre.
Fjellstua on Aksla
Ålesund's town mountain (189 m), with views over the islands and open sea to the west and north. In January 2012 a local photographer who saw little from the streets watched a strong display from here.
You can walk the 418 steps from Byparken or drive up. The city lights are directly below you.
MapAlnes lighthouse, Godøy
The lighthouse stands at the northern tip of Godøy, facing open sea and away from the town's glow. Local photographers go there on aurora nights.
The road reaches Alnes through a tunnel of about 1.5 km. There is a large car park by the tunnel, and the village itself is small.
MapBlimsanden beach, Vigra
A beach on the north side of Vigra that local aurora photographers use to get away from Ålesund's light pollution.
An informal spot with no published parking or facilities information.
Map
Local tips
- In June the sky over Ålesund never gets darker than civil twilight, so aurora season here effectively pauses in early summer.
- Driving around the town usually shows little. Locals go up to Fjellstua or out to the islands to get away from the street lights.
The last big one
: During a Kp 8 storm, unusually red aurora was photographed around 22:45 at Bogneset in Ålesund and reported across Sunnmøre.
Sources (8), checked 2026-11-07
- nrk.no/mr/nordlyset-farget-himmelen-i-natt-1.7…
- snl.no/Aksla
- fjordnorway.com/en/see-and-do/aksla-viewpoint
- nrk.no/mr/veronica-danielsen-forklarer-at-nord…
- nytnaturen.no/2018/08/godoyfjellet-alnes/
- smp.no/nyheter/n/RyKQ9r/fangst-pa-fangst-for-n…
- timeanddate.com/sun/norway/alesund
- smp.no/nyheter/n/93okal/sjekk-dette-nordlyset
Plan the trip
Aurora tours & stays near Ålesund
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Aurora cabins & lodges
Cabins, lodges and aurora-view stays near Ålesund — settle in and watch the lights.
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Self-drive to dark-sky spots away from town glow. Compare every local supplier.
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Travel medical cover for a trip to Ålesund — remote, cold and weather-dependent — from a few dollars a day.
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