Top 10 madness that is the new year
You cannot open a newspaper, read a magazine or go online lately without seeing a list of ‘top 10’ things to do or places to go this year. What was especially noticeable this year was the presence of ‘seeing a total solar eclipse’ on most of these lists. I can’t recall any other time […]
Researching eclipse weather using Citizen Science
One of the concerns about the up-and-coming total solar eclipse is the weather experienced along the path of totality during the month of March. Existing weather statistics for the Faroe Islands taken from Vagar Airport collected over the past 20 years show that there is a high occurrence of cloud in March, and a high […]
Planning for 2015 – Part Two
Earlier in March 2014 I revisited the Faroe Islands. This was a practice run for the Total Eclipse of 2015. I wanted to see first hand what the weather would be like, and what challenges needed to be overcome for the eclipse. Visiting in March reminded me of that Norwegian saying that there is no […]
Planning for 2015 – Part One
I recently have partnered with The Independent Traveller and am now leading the Eclipse Tour to the Faroe Islands in 2015. We went recently to explore the islands, to identify several potential eclipse viewing sites, and the many other logistical things that are required when finalising a tour. I find the islands a fascinating […]
The Far North Queensland Eclipse of 2012
The total eclipse of November 14 2012 was my 8th total eclipse. Yet it was still as magical, amazing, and wondrous as ever. This eclipse seemed particularly beautiful – the diamond ring seemed to hang suspended in time; and the eclipsed Sun appeared to be larger than I recall from previous total eclipses. Every […]
Annular versus Total Solar Eclipse
I am often asked to describe the difference between a Total and an Annular Solar Eclipse. The key difference is that the Moon is further away from the Earth, with the disc of the Moon no longer fully covering the Sun. Instead, a ‘ring of fire’ remains. Even though the light is greatly reduced, […]
Beyond language
At my Brisbane book launch, I was speaking with Terry, an eclipse chaser who did a lot of media during the last total eclipse in November 2012. Terry recounted how every local person he interviewed immediately after the eclipse to share their experience could only say a few words – “It was awesome”. “It […]
Being an author – and giving something back
I had the idea for writing a book about my passion of eclipse chasing for many years. Many of my family and friends nagged me about it, saying that I should write about my eclipse chasing adventures. The idea was always there, in the back of my mind. But I always had doubts, or felt […]
Cultural observations within the path of totality
I have now returned to Cairns, the largest city within the path of totality for the November 14 total eclipse. I like learning a little about the local culture when I travel to see an eclipse. I am a North Queenslander myself, so there is a lot that I already am aware of. However, living […]
The Euphoria of a Book Launch
Two days ago, I had the Belfast launch party for the book Total Addiction: The Life of an Eclipse Chaser. I am now reflecting on how different the process is of publishing a book versus completing academic work. Academic writing I have spent many years in formal academic study, writing thesis after thesis for each […]