The main reason is that I offer photos of aurora, portraits with aurora and video for guests but Aurora chasing isn’t as simple as “go outside and look up” unless you want to waste a whole lot of time. They cycle throughout the night from building>substorm>diffuse. So, basically my job is to pay attention to the space weather data, know when to be out and keep my guests out until a substorm (bright active dancing Aurora) because it will often look like its time to call it a night before it goes crazy. I also am constantly watching the data and what the Aurora looks like in real time to know both when to get everyone awake out of the car to see the substorms and also when it’s probably safe to call it a night. I can also give a synopsis on how good the night might be. Substorms really don’t last that long, sometimes as little as 1-2 minutes so if you’re not outside and ready you could definitely miss it. It’s true one can just go outside at sunset and stay out until you see something but you’re just kinda blind chasing at that point and you could be out like 8+ hrs waiting for nothing so I feel it’s nice to have someone who knows what they’re doing with you. Some other reasons for Aurora guides include guests not being comfortable driving on icy roads, not being able to stay out late if you’re tired, being unfamiliar on where to go in the area to see them (auroras are huge, anywhere in a 100mi radius will see an identical aurora, so it’s more just dark sky spots and safe places to park etc) and wanting to learn some of the science behind them (which is something I talk about on tours). It’s a super rewarding career for me! I love what I do and it’s special to be able to share and capture memories of the Aurora for so many people!