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Where to stand
Park by the chapel and walk down to the shingle beach. Look north over the sea and up to the zenith, because at a geomagnetic latitude of about 66° the aurora is often high. After dark, do not walk towards the border river.
View towards the pole
Open Barents Sea to the north, with no lights at all
Sky darkness (Bortle scale): 1
Rules and safety
Norwegian border regulations apply: you must not cross the border, throw anything across or behave offensively towards Russia, and breaking the rules can mean a fine. There is no border crossing here. In winter, check the road from Kirkenes on vegvesen.no/trafikk, because help is far away.
About the spot
Grense Jakobselv is a hamlet on the Barents Sea, about 54 km by road east of Kirkenes, right on the border with Russia. The Jakobselva river forms the border here, and the stone King Oscar II Chapel from 1869 stands near the shore. There is almost no artificial light, and the open sea lies to the north.
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