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