Bring the night sky into the theatre and onto the open deck. John Maclean FRAS FRGS is an astronomer, Northern Lights guide and experienced cruise lecturer who makes complex ideas clear, lively and memorable for guests with any level of astronomy knowledge.
Every talk and session lasts a minimum of 45 minutes. John can create new talks to fit a specific itinerary and tailor the programme to the audience and voyage.
Talk programme
1. Journey through the Solar System
A close look at our galactic address, how the Solar System formed and the planets, illustrated with recent images and animations.
2. OMG! We’re All Going to Die (Asteroids, Comets and Meteors)
A scary and humorous look at the dangers posed by near-Earth objects, designed to make guests gasp and laugh in equal measure.
3. Nebulae, Galaxies and Black Holes
How deep space objects form and evolve, illustrated with images taken by John and the Hubble Space Telescope.
4. The Apollo Story
The triumphs and tragedies of the Apollo programme, from the space race to 12 people walking on the Moon, with insights from astronauts who were there.
5. Hello? Is Anyone Out There? (Aliens and Exoplanets)
A fun, thoughtful look at the possibilities of life elsewhere in the universe, with a little Hollywood imagination and plenty of intriguing questions.
6. Women in Astronomy
The stories of women who shaped our knowledge of the universe and whose contributions have too often been overlooked.
7. Stars
How stars are made, how they work and the part they played in making us what we are, with striking images and videos from solar satellites and observatories.
8. BANG! There Goes the Universe
The history of the universe from beginning to end: its birth, expansion and evolution, Einstein’s “greatest blunder” and possible futures.
9. Celestial Lights! – Aurora
A richly illustrated exploration of the aurora, its mythology and the space weather that drives it, with images by aurora expert Andy Green.
10. Southern Skies – Australia and New Zealand
A comparison of southern and northern skies, navigation beneath southern stars and the stories of Aboriginal astronomy.
11. Southern Skies – South America
Southern sky navigation and the ways Inca and Andean peoples understood the night sky, agricultural calendars and “dark constellations”.
12. Southern Skies – South Pacific and Polynesia
How Polynesian navigators used the star compass to explore the Pacific and reach Hawaiʻi.
13. Viking Astronomy – Fact and Legend
How Viking explorers used the Sun and stars to navigate, and the Norse constellations, myths and legendary sunstones.
14. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
The achievements and struggles of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton, and the ways their work changed science.
15. OSIRIS-REx – A Journey to Bennu
John’s perspective as a mission ambassador on the NASA mission to visit asteroid Bennu and return a sample from the early Solar System.
16. Inuit Astronomy – How the Inuit People Saw the Night Sky
The stories and cultural astronomy of Inuit and other Indigenous peoples of Alaska and the far North, including stars and constellations seen on journeys across Arctic ice.
17. The Islamic Golden Age of Astronomy
How astronomers across the Islamic world advanced the study of the sky, developed astronomical instruments and preserved and improved earlier texts.
18. Constellations – The Stories in the Night Sky
The myths and meanings of the patterns in the stars, and their importance to ancient and modern cultures.
19. Fireball! – The Winchcombe Meteorite Story
The inside story of the 28 February 2021 fireball: its detection and tracking, the recovery of a rare meteorite and what scientists learned from it.
20. Caribbean Archaeoastronomy – Taíno and Carib Cosmology
How early Caribbean peoples understood the Sun, Moon and stars and used stories of the sky to make sense of the cosmos.
21. The Star of Bethlehem – Unravelling the Mystery
Could the celestial sign described in the Nativity story have been a star or another phenomenon? A look at what astronomy can tell us.
22. Wonders of the Cosmos
Dark matter, dark energy, the first stars, kilonovae and other surprising questions about the universe.
Live experiences on board
- Live stargazing on deck
- Aurora watches on deck
- A hands-on meteorite experience
- Q&A sessions
- Northern Lights photography workshops
Deck sessions depend on weather, visibility and shipboard conditions. John can adapt the programme to the route and observing opportunities.
Watch the showreel
Watch the showreel on YouTube ↗
About John
John is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Geographical Society. He was a joint winner of the 2022 RAS Group Award for Geophysics and is a BBC Astronomy Correspondent. He spent 25 years in the Royal Air Force. A founding member of the UK Meteor Network, he is also a resident astronomer and guest speaker aboard cruise ships. His work with the meteor network contributed to the recovery of the Winchcombe meteorite.
