Travel

INCREDIBLE PLACES TO ENJOY BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERES

Our mission was to find some new places to visit where we could experience some of the most beautiful atmospheres in the world. Here are 10 to consider for your bucket list.

PHRAYA NAKHON CAVE - THAILAND

The beauty of the atmosphere in the Phraya Nakhon Cave, in the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, in Thailand, is that it was created in spiritual and physical collaboration with nature.

It is a soulful spot. A tiny temple sits on the floor of the cave, positioned perfectly so that sunlight streams through an opening at the top. It feels like heaven pouring in, with its misty, ethereal shaft. Many Thai/Siamese kings have found that it is a perfect place for contemplation. We can totally see why.

FORT FISHER -- NORTH CAROLINA

The atmosphere at Fort Fisher, at Cape Fear, North Carolina, has an eerie kind of beauty. It is soaked in history as it was an important place during the Civil War.

Legend has it that that there is a sentinel in the woods, standing ethereal guard in a pine tree grove, still waiting for the attack of the North. The Ghost Trees, in the photo above, seem to house the spirits of those who did battle here.

This is a beautiful place for a walk or a picnic, as long as you don’t mind sharing it with a few ghosts.

AURORA BOREALIS

The aurora borealis is beautiful atmosphere deluxe. The dramatic lights that hang in the skies near our planet’s poles are, essentially, the result of special atmospheric conditions, caused by solar wind, carrying magnetospheric charged particles as it meets Earth’s high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere).

Most auroras occur within a band known as the auroral zone, which is typically 3° to 6° wide in latitude and observed at 10° to 20° from the geomagnetic poles. They are most vivid and spectacular to observe around the spring and autumn equinoxes.

These particular images were captured in Svalbard, Norway by Kerstin Langenberger as she travelled from the North Pole.

Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada, is a perfect place to catch both the aurora borealis and the beauty of billions of stars because it is one of the few remaining places on earth that has been spared from light pollution.

The competition of lights from our urban developments makes it difficult to see our upper atmosphere and the stars beyond. But here, you can enjoy the largest Dark Sky Preserve in the world.

Canada is the only nation on Earth with strict regulation as to what constitutes a Dark Sky Preserve, so theirs are the best. There are 17 Dark Sky Preserves to explore.

NIGHT SKIES

The Earth's atmosphere is made up of layers, including the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere and magnetosphere, each of which has its own fascinating properties.

The Kármán line, located within the thermosphere at an altitude of 100km, is commonly used to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

Night time is the best time to see through our multiple levels of atmosphere, to view the atmospheres surrounding stars and other planets. And, as cited earlier, it is best to find places that offer truly dark skies.

The Atacama Desert in Chile is the highest desert on Earth. With its high altitude, dry air, close to zero air pollution, it is a perfect place to catch a clear view of the atmosphere.

We can see the Milky Way’s soft glow easily. And it is a sight to behold.

Hawaii is another fantastic place to look through the atmosphere at the beauty of the heavens above. Its location deep in the Pacific Ocean, separated from major land masses, means that there is a low level light pollution.

Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island, is the home of Keck Observatory. Its 9,000 foot altitude increases access to the starry skies.

A hotel in Ojo Caliente, New Mexico, has stargazing figured out. Their check-ins must occur before sunset, and cars are not allowed to be driven after dark. All this serves to eliminate already low light pollution and cloak the place in perfect darkness.

Astrophotographer Mark Gee captured the remarkable beauty of the night sky above Wellington, New Zealand. This photograph was taken early this June. The biggest issue was exposing the Milky Way enough, while not overexposing the city below. But still Gee managed to get this incredible shot without leaving his balcony. The image was taken in a single 10 second exposure, making it all the more impressive.

Dave Morrow is a photographer who provides tutorials for capturing the atmosphere of the night sky. Check out his full tutorial, so you can take similar incredible shots of the atmosphere, here.

His photos, such as this one of Mount Hood, Oregon above, showcase the beauty of both the landscape and the stars in the sky.

Read more about Beautiful Atmosphere, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including The Character of Atmosphere, Capturing Air & Atmosphere, Beautifully, Now!, Raspberry Galaxy and Woody Whiskey Atmosphere, and Atmosphere As Art: New Works.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Atmosphere in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 06.29.14. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!