Explore Alliance Ambassadors - Stéphane Picard
In the quiet landscapes of New Brunswick, where dense forests open to the Bay of Fundy, Cliff Valley Astronomy offers more than stargazing—it offers renewal. Founded and led by CEO Stéphane Picard, an astronomer, astrophotographer, and true “astropreneur,” the company blends astrotourism experiences with comfortable lodging, inviting visitors to reconnect with the universe in one of Canada’s most breathtaking settings.
Picard’s journey began under rural star-filled skies, where he first learned that the cosmos was not an abstraction but a living presence—one that inspires curiosity, humility, and awe. During the stillness of the COVID pandemic, he transformed that passion into Cliff Valley Astronomy, beginning with intimate star parties for small groups. What started as a simple way to share the night sky has since grown into a thriving enterprise for stargazers, travelers, and seekers of wonder.
Beyond running Cliff Valley Astronomy, Picard is deeply rooted in the astronomy community as a member of the Saint John Astronomy Club and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s New Brunswick Centre. His vision extends outward, leading the Fundy Dark-Sky Corridor initiative—an ambitious plan to unite six dark-sky sites along just 100 miles of coastline. If realized, it would form the world’s densest cluster of protected night skies, where each site serves as a classroom, a theater, and a cathedral of the cosmos.
Picard’s philosophy is that astronomy is at its best when it empowers. Through Cliff Valley Astronomy Cares, he invests back into local communities, ensuring that his work not only inspires but also sustains. Like a poet of the cosmos, he reminds us that “we’ve lost our intimacy with the night sky”—and works tirelessly to restore that bond one telescope view, one gasp of wonder, one child’s first look at Saturn at a time.
For Stéphane Picard, astronomy is more than science or spectacle. It is a bridge: between Earth and sky, between past and future, between the infinite cosmos above and the stardust within. Thanks to his vision, New Brunswick is not just a place on the map—it is a place where people can still touch the universe.
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