Eclipse Talks

The Greatest Spectacle in the Whole of Nature

Eclipse Talks

Are you looking for

Þ a lecture by a world expert on solar eclipses

Þ an expedition leader with proven ability to get your group to the right place at the right time giving everyone an experience they will never forget

Þ an after dinner speaker able to inform, entertain and amuse a wide ranging audience on many subjects including astronomy, exploration, travel, expeditioning, space travel and many more.

Þ an inspirational presenter with the confidence and charisma to address any type of audience combined with the ability to make complex messages understandable and memorable.

Þ a workshop leader with many years of international experience in engaging participants

Then we have the ideal solution - Professor John Parkinson.

With a rich tapestry of experiences drawn from a career that has spanned 40 years, we will be surprised if he can’t top your bill!

Introducing John Parkinson

John’s achievements and experiences include

Þ Holding the posts of Professor of Space Science at University College London, Director of Science & Mathematics and Director of International Relations & Development at Sheffield Hallam University, where he is currently the Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics.

Þ Working on several major space projects including the Skylab Space Station and the Space Shuttle where he trained flight crew members and was also a Planning Chief. He received awards from NASA, twice, and the European Space Agency.

Þ Becoming a world authority on solar eclipses having led expeditions to observe these rare events all over the world. The current tally is 14 total eclipses, 3 annulars and 7 major partials!

Þ Travelling, lecturing and giving talks anywhere and everywhere—from Antarctica to the Arctic and from the North Atlantic to the Southern Indian Ocean.

John Parkinson in action around the world

Þ John has camped in the Sahara Desert, spent five weeks crossing the Southern Ocean by icebreaker to Antarctica, lived in a wood cutters hut in the forests of Eastern Siberia, travelled to the geographic North Pole, stayed in a longhouse in Borneo, taken tea with reformed head hunters, tracked big game in Africa, followed in Darwin’s footsteps in the Galapagos Islands, canoed through the fringes of the Amazon Rainforest.

Þ Always in demand by the media, John has taken part in hundreds of TV and radio programmes, press conferences and briefings. He has written and presented several radio talks and documentaries, the most famous being about how he failed to be an astronaut – twice! He was the subject of the BBC TV documentary Chasing After Shadows and was the lead astronomer for their live coverage of the 1999 total solar eclipse in Cornwall.

John Parkinson working with the media