Gregory I. Redfern - Cruise Ship Astronomy and Astrophotography

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Ahoy, shipmate!

If you are reading this book, you must be interested in taking a cruise AND including astronomy -astrophotography as part of your voyage, or at least thinking about it. I have been fortunate to be a Special Interest Lecturer on astronomy and space for Azamara Club Voyages, Cunard , Holland America Lines, Oceania Cruises , Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, SeaDream Yacht Club, and Windstar Cruises Line .

In the dozens of voyages and tens of thousands of guests I have had the pleasure to sail and interact with, I have learned much about what cruise ship guests are interested in when it comes to learning about astronomy and astrophotography at sea. Cruise Ship Astronomy and Astrophotography at Sea is the culmination of those seagoing experiences coupled with five decades of studying, observing, photographing, educating, and lecturing on the universe.

It is very gratifying that many of the guests who have attended the lectures found a new interest in astronomy and/or astrophotography, while some were motivated to pick it up again, having lost contact with their passion for the stars . Conducting night sky viewing sessions for the guests also helped to jump-start or rekindle their interest in the stars.

On the educational side, when people discover how the stars are born, live, and die, they never look at the night sky the same way again. Learning about their home galaxy, the Milky Way , lends a warm familiarity to that ghostly glow they see in the dark sky at sea, realizing that it is our home in the universe at large. Perhaps their greatest discovery comes when they realize that everything they touch, smell, and see is only 5% of the observable universe . Oh, and for good measure, astronomers think there may be more than one universe! There will be much to ponder in this book.

An all too common comment after presenting So, You Want To Be an Astrophotographer, which is always the first lecture presented on each cruise, is, I didnt know you could do that. I never thought of it. Seeing the images taken by first-time astrophotographers who take up the challenge of photographing the sky at sea as well as their being so full of pride at having done so some with tears in their eyes provided the motivation to bring this book to you.

The primary goal of this book is to provide practical information to readers on how to enjoy a cruise with an astronomy-astrophotography element included. The book is written so it can appeal to someone who has never cruised before or had any astronomy-astrophotography background. In doing so, each following chapter will take you step by step on how to go about enjoying this very satisfying and unique aspect of a cruise. Highlighted safety tips , ship tips, and photo tips will be provided where applicable to focus your attention on the very practical advice they provide.

A secondary goal is to take what you learn at sea and apply it to other water and ashore venues. Much of what you learn and experience at sea with regard to observing and photographing the sky carries over to other locations and opportunities that present themselves.

In case you find that you want to delve deeper into astronomy and astrophotography, which is a very distinct possibility, this book will help you get started. You may even get to the point where perhaps you want to upgrade your camera, lenses and associated accessories, computer software for imaging and astronomy, and maybe even the purchase of a telescope . It is all covered.

At the end of the book, there is a Suggested Reading and Internet Sites section that will have for each of the forthcoming chapters suggested books and Internet links for you to refer to that provide supplemental information to the topics in the chapter. This will be of great value to you when reading about the numerous astronomical and astrophotography topics.

The book has two parts to provide needed concentration on their respective subject matter. Part I, Cruise Ship Astronomy , is about the basics in cruise selection, packing, useful astronomical knowledge in a broad context supplemented by specific topical chapters on what to see in the sky, and most important of all, how to get the most out of your ship observatory during your cruise.

Chapter , Cruise Considerations and What to Pack Astronomy-Wise, discusses what you might want to consider in selecting a cruise line and available destinations. For instance, do you want a large ship or a small ship with their accompanying passenger capacity? How many days and of course nights at sea will the voyage encompass?

Looking at the published itinerary for a voyage, which tells you how long the cruise is, where the ship will be going, costs involved, and in some cases the shore excursions available, will provide crucial information. Here is a big consideration for your cruise selection criteria: Are there any astronomy-themed shore excursions that are part of your cruise? If there are world-renowned astronomically themed attractions such as ancient Mayan astronomical ruins, Stonehenge, Kennedy Space Center, and the observatories atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii, they may be listed as shore excursions offered by the ship. Using the itinerary, you can also conduct online research that might reveal observatories, historical landmarks, planetariums, universities, museums, and archaeological or geological features with an astronomical theme located at each port of call .