My assignment on Queen Mary 2 was very enjoyable and successful. Trans Atlantic crossings, with 7 days at sea, can be challenging for guests but Cunard have an excellent Insights lecture programme. I delivered 3 talks during the crossing and I also had a Q&A session that lasted for an hour and a half with many excellent questions. I am now at home for just over a month before joining Viking Jupiter for a trip from Barcelona to Buenos Aires.

I am currently in Norwich, Connecticut visiting my son who works at the US Navy base in Groton but, on September 3rd I will be embarking Cunard’s flagship, Queen Mary 2 in New York to begin an assignment from New York to Southampton. I’ll be delivering several talks on astronomy and astrophysics in the Illuminations Theatre and maybe even conducting planetarium shows. The weather during an Atlantic crossing is not usually clear enough for stargazing but, fingers crossed!

On the 22nd of July I went on a “bear hunt” to the Spasski River Forest. As soon as we arrived we saw a bear hunting salmon in the river. It was an amazing sight. More images will appear in the gallery!

In June and July I will be the Resident Astronomer on Viking Orion as we sail in fabulous Alaska. During the four voyages I will be covering I will be delivering lectures and planetarium shows on this wonderful ship. Updates will follow.

My next assignment begins on April 10th 2025 when I fly to Capetown to join Cunard’s latest addition to the fleet, Queen Anne. I am looking forward to experiencing the new ship and finding some warmth and sunshine after the cold of Norway! I will be sailing from Capetown to Southampton via Namibia, Senegal and the Canaries. More updates later!

I had a very eventful two months leading the search for the Northern Lights in Norway on Viking Vela. Norway suffered from terrible weather for the whole trip and we only managed to get beyond the Arctic Circle on two of the four cruises. However, we did get to see the aurora several times during our trip. I carried out “aurora watches” on deck several times, even though we had heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures. I also conducted photography workshops to help the guests get the best images of the Northern Lights. At the end of the last voyage, I created a video from the photographs submitted by guests. You can see it below. You can also see some of the images I took in the Gallery.

From 3rd of February, I will be Resident Astronomer on Viking Vela as we sail In Search of the Northern Lights. I’ll be aboard for two months, giving lectures, doing photograpy workshops and conducting Aurora Watch nights on deck! Join me on the blog for the latest images of the aurora!

I am currently on Viking Jupiter in South America. We are having a terrific cruise with full houses for lectures and planetarium show. We have also managed some very successful “stargazing nights.”

Having just arrived back from Canada in the Fall on Fred Olsen Borealis, I will be setting off on my next assignment on Saga Spirit of Discovery to the Caribbean. This cruise will be a bit warmer than Canada or Alaska and I’ll be delivering a series of talks as well as doing some stargazing nights.

After a brief sojourn to visit our son in the USA we are back on our travels. From October 3rd I will be the resident astronomer on Fred Olsen’s Borealis during her latest voyage, Canada in the Fall. More info later!

Well! What a voyage this has been so far. Firstly, Fred Olsen’s Borealis is a terrific ship with nice venues, artwork and the food is great. However, when we left Southampton to cross the Atlantic to Canada we were not prepared for Hurricane Kirk which meant we had to divert to Funchal in Madeira! It took us nine days to reach Canada by which time we had three ports cancelled due to weather. Fortunately, once we were in the St.Lawrence river, things brightened up and we had a fabulous time in Montreal, Quebec, Saguenay and Corner Brook. We are now sailing to St.John’s in Newfoundland (one of our earlier cancelled ports) but will miss Cobh in Ireland on the way back. I have delivered several talks during the voyage, all with great crowds and very well received. The stargazing nights have not been so successful because of weather and the only two clear(ish) nights were blighted by a bright Moon.

This morning I received an email asking me to join our next cruise to the Caribbean on November the 5th instead of the 9th so, onwards and upwards!