Cosmic Trails 2 Cruise

Itinerary

• Sunday, March 6: Fort Lauderdale, FL (Depart 5:00 PM)
• Monday, March 7: At Sea (Seminars)
• Tuesday, March 8: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos (Arrive 7:00 AM, Depart 3:00 PM)
• Wednesday, March 9: San Juan, Puerto Rico (Arrive 1:00 PM, Depart 8:00 PM)
  • Featured a private excursion to the Arecibo Observatory in the rainforest-blanketed karst terrain of Northern Puerto Rico (1:00 PM - 7:00 PM).
• Thursday, March 10: Philipsburg, St. Maarten (Arrive 7:00 AM, Depart 3:00 PM)
• Friday, March 11: At Sea (Seminars)
• Saturday, March 12: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Arrive 8:00 AM, Depart 4:00 PM)
• Sunday, March 13: Fort Lauderdale, FL (Arrive 7:00 AM)

Speakers & Seminars

• Ivan Semeniuk (Science Journalist):
  • The Power and Progress of Radio Astronomy
  • Superscopes: The Future of Cosmic Exploration
• Alan Dyer (Astrophotographer):
  • Choosing and Using a Telescope
  • Choosing and Using a DSLR Camera
  • Tips and Techniques at the Telescope
  • Processing Images, the Finishing Touch
• Hal McAlister (Director of Mount Wilson Observatory):
  • Small Telescopes in the 21st Century
  • A Second Century for Mount Wilson Observatory
• Steve Miller (Celestial Navigation Expert):
  • The Basics of Latitude and Longitude
  • The Tools Used in Celestial Navigation
  • The Two Types of Sights
  • Our Hands-on Workshop (out on deck)
  • Determining our L&L at Noon
  • Determining our L&L From Our Polaris Sight
• Alan Boss (Astrophysicist):
  • The Race to Find New Solar Systems
  • The Search for Living Planets
  • Planet Formation Theories
  • Twenty Five Years of Seeing Double
  • Zooming in on the Stars
  • A Journey to the Center of the Milky Way

Excursions & Photos

• Flickr Album: 2011-03 Cosmic Trails 2
• Included a historic visit to Arecibo Observatory, representing my fourth visit to the facility.