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This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.
Photograph by David González, National Geographic Your Shot

Striking Photos Show the Allure of Adventuring After Dark

See thrilling exploits and brilliant starry skies in these National Geographic Your Shot images.

ByLauren O'Brien
September 25, 2018

When the sun sinks below the horizon and vast, starry skies appear, not everyone turns in for the night. For certain adventurers, evening brings a whole new world of opportunity—each one with an epic view of Earth’s atmosphere and what lies beyond it.

Some travelers venture far distances and brave freezing temperatures to glimpse colorful auroras. Others wait hours to capture a meteor shower through time-lapse photography. Bold adventurers tackle daring activities under the shadows of nightfall—ice climbing with headlamps or skiing across dark, snowy paths—while another group takes a more casual approach to stargazing, enjoying views of the constellation Orion and the Big Dipper from the comfort of a campfire-side seat. (Related: How to Take Stellar Photographs of the Night Sky)

Capturing views of the night sky during both gutsy and mellow adventures, these photos taken by National Geographic’s Your Shot community show the wonder of exploring the world after dark.

Captions for the photos above were written by the Your Shot photographers who took the images. Click on their names to see the full caption and view more of their photos.

Lauren O'Brien is a digital news writer at National Geographic, covering topics related to culture and exploration.