Photographer Rebecca Douglas illuminates the world of ‘noctourism’ – enjoying the natural world at night – and her top tips for trying it out
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Last May, as the strongest solar storm in decades swept through the Earth’s upper atmosphere, people across London spotted an unusual sight in the nightsky: the aurora borealis. While it’s more commonly seen closer to the Arctic Circle, scientists predict that 2025 could be another year of frequent and intense auroras across Europe as the Sun’s magnetic poles flip – part of an 11-year solar cycle expected to peak in July.
Photographer Rebecca Douglas has frequently captured the aurora borealis in Iceland, as well as Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Canada and Norway, but in March 2023, she finally photographed the lights as they swirled over her hometown of Ramsgate. This year could be another chance for residents in the southeast, she says, ‘but it’s getting harder and harder to get to dark locations.’
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For Douglas, a love of the night sky began long before her first trip to Iceland. ‘When I was a kid, during the summer holidays, my dad would put out plastic deckchairs and sleeping bags in the back garden, ready for the Perseids meteor shower. We’d bundle up and watch the skies come alive.’
Perhaps it’s because celestial events such as these are increasingly difficult to see – hidden by the growing presence of light pollution – that ‘noctourism’ is on the rise among travellers worldwide, too.
Although noctourism is similar to astrotourism, which is focused on stargazing, Douglas explains that it’s a much broader appreciation of the night. ‘It’s an awareness that there’s so much wonder waiting for us after darkness, a time that is so often considered the end of an adventure.’ Many traditionally daytime activities also offer a different experience at night, including night hiking, night snorkelling, or watching nocturnal wildlife.
Douglas enjoys summer nights spent UV rockpooling, when rockpool residents are most active and fluorescent crabs and anemones glow under the light of a UV torch. ‘Noctourism is a wonderfully accessible concept; there are so many ways to enjoy the world at night.’
As a woman, Douglas understands that some travellers may fear going out into the night. She also remembers, during her time as a geography student, studying the connection between fear, space and the dark, and how cognitive biases distort our perception of the dangers. ‘Obviously you have to have your wits about you,’ she adds, ‘but I feel really safe roaming Iceland, Norway or Scotland, especially with a group of friends.’
Away from towns and developed coastlines, clear skies offer visibility for miles, and Douglas finds it an empowering, freeing experience to be outside at night. Even if she did once get ‘attacked’ by an owl. ‘Not attacked, exactly,’ she adds hastily, ‘it just sort of swooped past my head, but it frightened the life out of me.’
Douglas plans the majority of her trips around the aurora season, and is constantly drawn back to northern countries, where she loves the challenge of the colder, harsher winter nights.
For someone new to spending a night out in nature, however, she recommends starting a little closer to home. ‘It’s about getting used to your local area, knowing where the darker spots might be, and then allowing yourself the time and space for your eyes to adapt.’
For those wanting the best view of the year’s celestial events, whether at home or while travelling, Douglas suggests learning more about the night sky, weather and some of the technical terminology. ‘There’s a brilliant app called Star Walk 2 that has a real-time map of the sky. But when it comes to seeing the aurora borealis, being able to interpret the data yourself can be a real help. A lot of forecasting apps can be 20 to 30 minutes behind real time – the main event could be over before you even know about it!’
Become an aurora chaser with Douglas’ Beginners Guide to seeing and photographing the aurora borealis, available at bit.ly/aurora_ chaser l
