Unlock the Magic of Noctourism: A Journey Through the Night Sky
Rebecca Douglas has dedicated her life to capturing the breathtaking beauty of the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. With 29 trips to Iceland under her belt, she’s already booked her 30th adventure. As a professional photographer, Douglas has been chasing this phenomenon since 2010, and her passion only grows stronger with each passing year.
The Science Behind the Spectacle
The Northern Lights are a result of sun particles reacting with gases in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, painting the sky with vibrant hues of green, purple, yellow, and blue. With the current solar cycle reaching its peak, the lights are expected to be more prominent over the next four years.
The Rise of Noctourism
Douglas is part of a growing trend called noctourism, which focuses on nighttime travel experiences. According to Booking.com, nearly two-thirds of travelers are considering “darker sky destinations” for activities like stargazing, once-in-a-lifetime cosmic events, and constellation tracking.
Luxury Travel Experiences
Wayfairer Travel reports a 25% increase in noctourism experiences, with requests for Northern Light viewings in Norway and Iceland, as well as night diving in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Egypt’s Red Sea. Nocturnal wildlife safaris in Zambia and Kenya, and stargazing in Chile’s Atacama Desert, are also gaining popularity.
Eclipse Chasing: The Next Big Thing
Luxury travel operator Scott Dunn predicts that eclipse chasing will become a new “bucket list” experience. Travelers are venturing to remote corners of the world to witness these celestial spectacles, with Greenland’s High Arctic set to be the next must-visit destination.
Planning the Perfect Noctourism Trip
Douglas shares her expertise on planning the perfect noctourism trip. She avoids hotel packages, preferring to plan her own trips, and chooses remote accommodations far from towns and neighbors to minimize light pollution. She also considers the phases of the moon and the best time to see the Northern Lights, usually between August and April.
Capturing the Magic
Douglas created an online course to help people photograph the aurora borealis. At night, she also photographs noctilucent clouds and polar stratospheric rainbow clouds. Her dedication to her craft is unwavering, even in temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
A Privilege to Pursue
For Douglas, spending her travels taking photographs at night is a privilege. As the world discovers the magic of noctourism, she’s proud to be at the forefront of this trend, inspiring others to chase the night sky.
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