Atlas Ocean Voyages is enhancing its Cultural Expeditions’ Atlas Focus Lab programming by introducing new “Stargazing and Astronomy Workshops” on select 2024 and 2025 expeditions. The line will also offer two voyages highlighting the total solar eclipse scheduled on August 12, 2026: World Navigator will be positioned in the Arctic region off Patreksfjordur, Iceland, and World Traveller will be positioned in the Mediterranean off Palma de Mallorca, Spain, ensuring optimal viewing locations centered in the path of totality for each location.
Stargazing and Astronomy Workshops
Throughout each Stargazing and Astronomy Workshop, guests will engage in conversations about the cosmos with fellow explorers while viewing the galaxy with advanced telescopes on deck. Talks and lectures will cover topics ranging from the birth of the universe to the latest astronomical discoveries.
Featured on three expeditions in 2024 aboard World Navigator, guests will have the opportunity to enrich their journey with talks led by author, astronomer and astrophotographer Jonathan H. Ward. His latest book, “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars,” was written in collaboration with astronaut Eileen Collins, the first American woman to pilot and command space missions. His previous book, “Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew,” was optioned for development as a feature film. He has been an active speaker on space-related topics as a NASA/JPL solar system ambassador since 2012. Ward was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in September 2018 and is president of the Greensboro Astronomy Club, NC.
The new Stargazing and Astronomy Workshops include:
- The eight-night Reykjavik to Amsterdam itinerary departing September 12, 2024
- The 10-night Amsterdam to Lisbon itinerary departing September 20, 2024
- The 13-night Las Palmas to Rio De Janeiro cruise departing October 14, 2024
Astronomer Charles Barclay will lead the World Voyager expedition in 2025, departing on June 10, 2025, for 12 nights from Leith (Edinburgh) to Trondheim. Additional Stargazing and Astronomy Workshop expeditions to Northern Europe in 2025 will be announced soon.
Barclay, a previous vice president of the Royal Astronomical Society, directed the Blackett Observatory in Wiltshire for 25 years. He is at the forefront of astronomy education and outreach in the U.K., serving as a national astronomy education coordinator for the International Astronomical Union, UK team leader for the Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad and an academic visitor in the Oxford University Astrophysics Department. Barclay lectures on diverse astrophysics topics internationally and writes for astronomy magazines.
Solar Eclipse Expeditions
World Navigator will mark the August 12, 2026, solar eclipse in Patreksfjordur, Iceland, while World Traveller will sail the Mediterranean Sea between Palma de Mallorca and Banyuls Sur Mer, France.
Upcoming solar eclipse expeditions include:
- The nine-night Reykjavik roundtrip itinerary departing August 9, 2026
- The seven-night Barcelona to Monte Carlo voyage departing August 11, 2026
Both journeys will include expert astronomers serving as expedition guides. Guests will enjoy special lectures, advanced telescopes on deck, and engaging conversations about the cosmos with fellow explorers.
For more information, visit www.atlasoceanvoyages.com.
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