Ny-Ålesund BACC all-sky camera

Ny-Ålesund BACC all-sky camera is a webcam shown on the operator's own site in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway, run by UNIS Kjell Henriksen Observatory. It is an all-sky camera: a fisheye lens looks straight up, so the whole sky is in the frame and the horizon runs round the edge.

Over many years, aurora shows on about 50% of clear, dark nights at this camera's magnetic latitude (77°). That is a long-term average, not a forecast: tonight's chance is next to the camera.

A settlement at 78°N in polar bear country. During the polar night aurora can appear at any hour, even at noon; but the highest latitude does not mean the best odds.

Near Svalbard (Longyearbyen) the aurora season runs from October to February, when the nights are dark enough. Polar night: The sun does not rise from about 26 October to 15–16 February. From about 14 November to 29 January there is not even twilight, so aurora can be sought at any time of day.

• Northern lights guide to Svalbard (Longyearbyen)
• All aurora webcams in Norway