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Over the past decade it has become increasingly popular to compile ‘bucket lists’ — checklists of places we should visit, or experiences we would like to enjoy, during our lifetime. Whilst opinions will differ on the exact content of the lists, and certainly there is much to see here on planet Earth, I would like to suggest that there are delights in the skies above us that are every bit as awe-inspiring and worth travelling to view.
I have been fortunate to lead tours to some extraordinary places over the past seven years in search of such celestial phenomena as dynamic displays of the Northern Lights, pristine night skies and the drama of a total solar eclipse. After such events I have often heard clients talking in hushed tones about how these experiences transcend our earthly existence and give them greater perspective on our sense of place in the universe. Surely, such life-changing spectacles deserve a place on anyone’s bucket list!
Milky way over Quiver Tree National Park, Namibia
Whilst many of us can see the stars from our back gardens, the sky above much of Britain is so heavily light polluted that only the brightest stars can be seen through the diffuse glow of our towns and cities. If we travel to the more remote regions of the world, however, away from the lights of modern life, the skies can yield spectacular nightly vistas of myriad stars and a more detailed structure of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. This is especially true when we head south, as the richest part of the Milky Way is best viewed from the southern latitudes and surpasses that which we see in the north. The sparsely populated country of Namibia, for example, is one of the best places for stargazing; during their winter evenings (especially in July) the centre of the Milky Way arches across the heavens and the Southern Cross climbs high above the southern horizon.
Travelling to see a total solar eclipse requires more specific planning! Since the location and timing of these events can be calculated with great precision many years into the future, eclipse ‘chasers’ need not worry about where their holidays will take them — it’s all predetermined by the movements of the Earth, Moon and Sun. The weather is less predictable, however, for the skies need to be clear, or at least partially clear, to see the eclipse. As such, those of us arranging tours to see eclipses need to carefully study the regional weather patterns to ensure we maximise the chances of a clear sky.
Eclipses can occur anywhere around the globe but not always in places convenient for travel. Whilst this presents a headache for the tour operator, it can result in tours to unusual and exciting places where few tourists set foot and where hotels are thin on the ground. In 2010, for example, many eclipse watchers headed to remote coral atolls in the South Pacific where camping was often the only option!
Since the next total solar eclipse visible from the UK is in 2090, most of us will need to travel if we want to see one! Over the last year I launched a series of new stargazing ‘Astrotours’ to such far-flung destinations as Namibia, Chile, and India. These will include our ‘usual’ bird, mammal and wildlife-watching during daylight hours, before we turn our telescopes skyward after dark to learn about and enjoy the night skies. We will also be going in search of the total solar eclipses due to pass over India in December 2019, Chile in December 2020, and Antarctica in December 2021.
To find out more about our astronomy tours, click here.
