Vi fortsetter stjernekikkingen, om så bare en stund.

It is an idiomatic phrase meaning even if only for a while or if only for a little while.

Breaking it down:

• om = if / sometimes even if
• så = part of the fixed expression here
• bare = only
• en stund = a while

So the idea is: We keep going, even if it is only for a short time.

Fortsetter is the present tense of å fortsette, which means to continue.

So:

• jeg fortsetter = I continue
• vi fortsetter = we continue

In this sentence, it can sound natural in English as either:

• We continue stargazing
• We keep stargazing
• We go on stargazing

Stjernekikkingen is a noun meaning the stargazing.

It comes from:

• stjerne = star
• kikking = looking / watching
• together: stjernekikking = stargazing
• with the definite ending -en: stjernekikkingen = the stargazing

So this is not a verb form. It is a noun referring to the activity itself.

That is very normal in Norwegian compounds. The first part of a compound is often a basic stem form, not necessarily a plural.

So:

• stjernekikking literally looks like star-looking
• but in natural English it means stargazing, not looking at one star

This is similar to other Norwegian compounds where English would also not translate piece by piece.

The definite form -en shows that it is the stargazing, meaning the specific activity already going on in the situation.

Norwegian often uses a definite noun where English might prefer a bare activity word:

• Vi fortsetter stjernekikkingen = We continue the stargazing / We continue stargazing

Using the definite form makes the activity sound like something established in the context.

Because fortsette can be followed by either:

1. a noun

   • Vi fortsetter stjernekikkingen
   • We continue the stargazing

2. an infinitive with å

   • Vi fortsetter å kikke på stjernene
   • We continue to look at the stars

Both are possible, but they are built differently:

• fortsetter + noun
• fortsetter å + infinitive

Yes, absolutely.

That would mean almost the same thing:

• Vi fortsetter stjernekikkingen
• Vi fortsetter å kikke på stjernene

The version in your sentence is a little more compact and noun-based, while å kikke på stjernene is more verbal and explicit.

In this sentence, så is part of the idiomatic expression om så bare. You should think of the whole phrase together rather than translating så separately as normal so.

The expression adds a concessive meaning:

• even if only
• if only

So så helps create that fixed nuance, but it is not something you would usually translate word-for-word on its own here.

Because stund is a common-gender noun, so it takes en.

• en stund = a while
• den stunden = that while / that period

Very common phrases:

• en liten stund = a little while
• bare en stund = just for a while

Fortsetter is present tense, but like many present-tense forms in Norwegian, it can describe something happening right now in context.

So Vi fortsetter can naturally become:

• We continue
• We keep going
• We keep stargazing

English often uses keep or a progressive-style translation because that sounds more natural in many contexts, even though Norwegian simply uses the present tense form.

The part after the comma is an added comment or limitation on the main statement: even if only for a while.

So the sentence structure is:

• main statement: Vi fortsetter stjernekikkingen
• added qualifying phrase: om så bare en stund

The comma helps separate that extra thought. It is very natural punctuation here.