Shoot a meteor shower in Chile: how astrotourism has put stargazing on the travel map
Millennials are getting hooked on the photo opps that go with astronomy tourism, with destinations like New Zealand, Hawaii and the Canary Islands on the uptick
A dazzling display of cosmic fireworks stole the heart of Francis So in December 2015. The Hong Kong-based filmmaker, photographer and time-lapse artist had travelled to Hehuanshan in Taiwan solely to capture the Geminid meteor shower, one of the most spectacular events that can be viewed from Earth every year.
Astronomy is one of the world’s oldest natural sciences, and over the years, enthusiasts and scientists have continued to track and record magnificent sights, from meteor showers and the Northern Lights to solar eclipses. Evolving technology – from telescopes to photography – helps with the study of the stars, and has further propelled astronomy into a whole new area: tourism. Today, astrotourism is one of the fastest-rising travel trends.
So developed a keen interest in astrophotography six years ago and specialises in night sky photography – wide-field starscapes with various topography in the foreground, captured in locations around the world – and also leads astrophotography expeditions in Hong Kong and overseas. His expertise is evident in the four-minute hyper-lapse film Escape, which was shot in Hong Kong; it won him the platinum trophy at the International Independent Film Awards in 2017. “For me, taking landscape or starscape photos is a way to learn more about our planet,” says So. “I have to study the climate and weather data, which can help me take different kinds of photos. I do believe it is a way to communicate with nature.”
So believes the reason for the exponential growth in astrotourism – especially combined with photography – is fuelled by the easy availability of cameras and, of course, social media.
“It is not difficult to get a nice camera and lens to capture starscapes now. The other reason is social networking. People are sharing information, techniques and photos through different platforms. It gets more people involved.
As far as astrotourism is concerned, Chile has some of the clearest skies in the world, combined with astonishing natural beauty such as deserts, forests and glaciers
“Most participants want to capture different kinds of wide field starscapes,” says So. “Some of them are into deep-sky astrophotography using a telescope.”