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Where to stand
Stop at a marked car park in the village and walk down to the shore of the fjord. The aurora is often high or overhead here, so look up to the zenith as well as north. The steep slopes hide the sky low on the horizon, so on a weaker night stand where you can see along the fjord to the north-west.
View towards the pole
The fjord runs north-west, and steep mountains on both sides hide the sky low on the horizon
Sky darkness (Bortle scale): 2
Rules and safety
Do not park on the verge or in passing places, only in marked spaces. Allemannsretten lets you walk on uncultivated land, but keep away from yards and houses. In winter the roads on Kvaløya are often icy and there is avalanche danger in the mountains, so check varsom.no.
About the spot
Ersfjordbotn is a small village at the head of Ersfjorden on the island of Kvaløya, about 20 minutes' drive from Tromsø. It sits at a geomagnetic latitude of about 67.6°, which usually puts it under the auroral oval. On a calm night the aurora is reflected in the fjord, and the mountains block the lights of the city.
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