New Brunswick can check off a few significant astrological events in the past year, including a full solar eclipse and the northern lights.
Stéphane Picard of Quispamsis found his passion for astrology during the pandemic and founded Cliff Valley Astronomy.
“I was always into astronomy, fascinated by it,” said Picard. “I jumped from astronomy into astrophotography during the pandemic, and I really got the bug hard.”
Astrophotography is an expensive hobby, Picard explained, but one he said there is a growing appetite for. When he began, he knew there would be a solar eclipse happening in 2024 and that’s where astrotourism came into play.
On April 8, 2024, parts of New Brunswick fell under the totality of a solar eclipse, bringing it to total darkness. New Brunswick, according to Picard, had four of Canada’s certified dark sky sites as designated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
They include the Irving Nature Park in Saint John, Fundy National Park, Kouchibouguac National Park and Mount Carleton Provincial Park.
“We have a network of tourism operators,” Picard said. “In the first year, we started with four partners. This past year, we got it (to) almost 30. We’re hoping for 75 next year. So, that’s growing super fast.”
New Brunswick is uniquely positioned to view astrological events due to our geography, according to Picard.
“We’re not a (heavily) populated province,” he said. “We have a beautiful coast and the inner river systems with the forest and all that. There’s plenty to see.”
About 80 per cent of U.S. residents do not see the Milky Way from where they live, however, in Canada, that reduces to somewhere around 60 per cent in places like Ontario.
“I think New Brunswick has some key strengths that we can capture,” Picard explained.
In October, the aurora borealis made headlines in New Brunswick – with many people posting a picture of the famous northern lights.
“I think a lot more people are starting to look up,” said Jordan Holmes, Cliff Valley Astronomy’s business development manager.
For Picard, the exploration of space is something with infinite possibilities and economic spin-offs that many communities – if the stars align – can take advantage of.
“It’s the last great frontier to explore,” he said.
Cliff Valley Astronomy is planning a trip to Egypt in 2027 for an eclipse tour. It’s one of the organization’s many offerings as part of its Sky Experience, which is also coming to Saint Andrews.
“We have the event coming up in March, which is taking a lot of our focus,” Holmes said. “It’s going to be a big deal in Charlotte County, and we’re hoping to draw a lot of attention into the event and a lot of spotlight on Saint Andrews and Charlotte County as a whole.”
On March 29, a partial solar eclipse is expected to be seen from Saint Andrews. The organization will host events at the Algonquin Resort, including a keynote speech from Alan Dyer, one of Canada’s best-known astronomy authors and astrophotographers.
Another keynote speaker is Jenna Hinds, the executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
The three-day event, called the Sunrise Eclipse Retreat, takes place from March 28 to 30.
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