All About Space

HUMANITY’S CONNECTION WITH THE NIGHT SKY

Did you write the book because you believe that people have lost the connection with the night sky?

I didn’t actually. That is something that I discovered as I went. But actually the main reason I decided to write it is because one evening in the summer, I looked out and realised that it was a really beautiful evening outside, and I just decided I didn’t really want to be in.

I decided to go out for a night walk, and I had this lovely experience just out on my own on our local hilltop, and it kind of spurred on a new hobby in me. I realised how much I enjoyed being out on my own at night and the peace and solitude of it.

That was how I started spending more time out at night, and then the book came from that because I just naturally became really fascinated with it. Why aren’t we drawn to the night? But at the same time we feel that the night time is something not to be explored, in a way we're encouraged to stay inside. It was this interesting dichotomy that I was interested to explore.

Your travels took you to Tromsø in Norway. What was it like to spend an entire week in the darkness during the polar night?

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