Nordlys i natt?

About Nordlys i natt?

Updated

Nordlys i natt? (Norwegian for “Northern lights tonight?”) is a free web service that answers one question: can you see the aurora tonight where you are? You get a simple YES, MAYBE or NO, a timeline for the night and a map of the auroral oval. No sign-up and no app store needed, although you can add it to your home screen like an app.

Why we built it

Most aurora apps show Kp numbers, solar wind graphs and cloud maps separately and leave the maths to you. For most people the question is simpler: is it worth going out tonight? Nordlys i natt? combines the three things that decide it – aurora activity, cloud cover and darkness – for your exact location. How the verdict works.

Who is behind it

The site is built and run by Maxim Salnikov, who lives in Norway. He is the editor responsible for the content. The source code is open on GitHub.

Data we use

  • Aurora activity: the Kp forecast and the auroral oval (OVATION) from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center in the USA.
  • Clouds and darkness: weather forecasts and the Sun’s position from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway, api.met.no).
  • Place names and maps: place-name search and map tiles from Kartverket, the Norwegian Mapping Authority.

Thanks to all three for open data. We keep data only as long as needed to show the forecast, and we sell no data.

The guides

In the guides section we explain how the aurora forms, how to read forecasts and data, where and when your chances are best in Norway, and how to photograph it. How we make them:

  • Our own writing. The guides are written for this site, in Norwegian and English. We do not copy text from others.
  • Sourced. Facts are checked against primary sources such as NOAA, MET Norway, the Tromsø Geophysical Observatory (UiT), Store norske leksikon and official tourism and safety authorities. Sources are listed at the end of every guide.
  • Honest about uncertainty. Anything we could not confirm is marked “unverified”. Aurora forecasts are uncertain by nature, and we say so plainly.
  • Dated. Every guide shows when it was published and last updated. The guides are prepared with the help of digital tools and reviewed before publication.

Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

Advertising

The site is free. To cover running costs it may show ads from Google in the future. Ads will be clearly labelled and will never influence what we write. See the privacy policy.