SKY GAZING

Are you bored of beach holidays or aren’t adventurous enough to take part in holidays in which you have to do extreme sports? Have you had enough of camping holidays or are just not that into winter holidays? Then, what about star gazing? When was the last time you were gazing up at a clear sky with millions of sparkling stars? My interest in sky gazing started on a memorable night when some friend of mine took me to Ürgüp, Cappadocia for a sky gazing night which was organized by Feza Gürsey, who was one of the most respected members of the physics community. From then on, I have been trying to follow the blogs and travel articles about the topic and am amazed to see that astrotourism has gained an incredible popularity among people worldwide in recent years due to many reasons.

One of the reasons why people are interested in sky gazing is that the number of organizations which offer breaks, events and excursions about astronomy has increased a great deal. Some of these excursions are Northern lights cruises, eclipse trips, observatory visits, star parties or dark sky festivals, and astrophotography outings. This means people can easily join a variety of professionally organised events.

Another reason for its becoming popular is that you do not have to wait for a season or you do not have to go to special places. All you need is a clear sky away from the light pollution which stops us from seeing the sky clearly in urban areas and your eyes. In other words, you can do it anywhere and anytime.

Sustainability is the far most important reason, I suppose. I mean people can have the opportunity to take part in these excursions easily and economically since astrotourism creates a considerable income during the off-season or in destinations which are not known for their summertime appeal. This can be a great advantage for a regional economy. In return, people can chose from more options that suit to their tastes.

A night under the stars or seeing the Northern Lights dancing all around you is somewhat different than a standard excursion or beachside holiday, not to mention the uniqueness of witnessing a total eclipse of the sun. What is more, you are surrounded with nature thinking how small we are in this world.