Nigel Henbest (born 1951) is a British astronomer, born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and educated in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

and at

Leicester University , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

, where he studied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

. He did postgraduate research at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

before becoming a freelance science writer. He has written more than 40 books, many in collaboration with

Heather Couper Heather Anita Couper, (2 June 1949 – 19 February 2020) was a British astronomer, broadcaster and science populariser. After studying astrophysics at the University of Leicester and researching clusters of galaxies at Oxford University, C ...

, and over 1,000 articles on

and

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

which have been translated into 27 languages. Previously he has been Astronomy Consultant to ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...

'' magazine, editor of the ''Journal of the

British Astronomical Association The British Astronomical Association (BAA) was formed in 1890 as a national body to support the UK's amateur astronomers. Throughout its history, the BAA has encouraged observers to make scientifically valuable observations, often in collaborati ...

'' and media consultant to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Along with Couper and Stuart Carter, director of the Channel 4 series ''The Stars'', he set up Pioneer Productions where he produced award-winning television programmes and series.

Asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

3795 Nigel is named after him.

Early life and education

Nigel Henbest was born on 6 May 1951 in

West Didsbury Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there are ...

, Manchester, where he lived for the first five years of his life. His father, Bernard Henbest, was an organic chemist and his mother, Rosalind (née James) a psychiatrist. In 1958, his father was appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry at Queen’s University in Belfast, and Henbest was educated at the

Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

until the age of 18. Henbest graduated from the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

in 1972, gaining a First Class honours BSc in

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

. Here, he met fellow astronomy student

; they formed a working partnership - Hencoup Enterprises - that focuses on astronomy popularisation.

Research

Moving to St John’s College, Cambridge, Henbest researched at the Cavendish Laboratory, under the then

Astronomer Royal Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834. The post ...

, Sir Martin Ryle. During 1972-73 Henbest made pioneering observations of the remnant of Tycho’s Supernova (observed by

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was k ...

in 1572). Then in 1974 he published the first comprehensive observations of quasars and galaxies made with the newly opened Five Kilometre Telescope, now named the

Ryle Telescope {{Infobox telescope The Ryle Telescope (named after Martin Ryle, and formerly known as the 5-km Array) was a linear east-west radio telescope array at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. In 2004, three of the telescopes were moved to create ...

. Henbest also researched the optical spectra of

quasar A quasar is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is pronounced , and sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. This emission from a galaxy nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole with a m ...

s at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, before returning to the Department of Geology at Leicester University, to develop and install

tiltmeter A tiltmeter is a sensitive inclinometer designed to measure very small changes from the vertical level, either on the ground or in structures. Tiltmeters are used extensively for monitoring volcanoes, the response of dams to filling, the small ...

s and a recording

seismometer A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground noises and shaking such as caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The outpu ...

on the active volcano

Mount Etna Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina a ...

He has also presented research on ancient astronomical observations to the

European Association of Archaeologists The European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) is a membership-based, not-for-profit association, open to archaeologists and other related or interested individuals or bodies in Europe and beyond. It was founded in 1994 at an inaugural meeting in ...

Henbest is now an Honorary Professor in the

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) is part of the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland. It is ranked as one of the top schools of art and design in the United Kingdom. History Attempts were made to establish an art schoo ...

University of Dundee The University of Dundee; . Abbreviated as ''Dund.'' for post-nominals. is a public university, public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a University college#United Kingdom, university college in 1881 with a donation ...

Career

With the publication of his first major book, ''The Exploding Universe'', in 1979 Henbest began a lifelong career as a science communicator - specialising in astronomy and space - across media platforms ranging from magazines and newspapers to radio, television and online.

Books and magazines

Henbest has written over 40 books, many written jointly with Heather Couper. Henbest and Couper are ‘unsung heroes of astronomy, great storytellers years ahead of their time and with an eye for a colourful character’ As well his contributions to major encyclopedias, Henbest has had over 1,000 articles published in international magazines. In 1982, Henbest was appointed Astronomy Consultant to ''New Scientist'', a post he held for ten years. He has also been a columnist for ''

BBC Focus ''BBC Science Focus'' (previously ''BBC Focus'') is a British monthly magazine about science and technology published in Bristol, UK by Immediate Media Company. Edited by Daniel Bennett, it covers all aspects of science and technology and is writ ...

'' magazine and ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' newspaper.

Plays

In 1989, Lord Bernard and Lady Josephine Miles invited Henbest to write a play for the Molecule Theatre of Science. Co-authored by Mike Bennett, ''It’s All in the Stars!'' was staged at the

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

and

Mermaid Theatre The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre encompassing the site of Puddle Dock and Curriers' Alley at Blackfriars in the City of London, and the first built in the City since the time of Shakespeare. It was, importantly, also one of the first new the ...

s in London, and toured nationally.

Consultancy and editorships

In 1982, Henbest was appointed Media Consultant to the Royal Greenwich Observatory, with special responsibility for publicising the new

Roque de los Muchachos Observatory Roque de los Muchachos Observatory ( es, Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, ORM) is an astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garafía on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The observatory site is operated ...

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

and the opening of the 4.2 m

William Herschel Telescope The William Herschel Telescope (WHT) is a optical/near-infrared reflecting telescope located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The telescope, which is named after William Hersc ...

. The

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

invited Henbest to serve as External Assessor on its new Astronomy module, ''Matter in the Universe'' (S256), in 1984. As well as editing books and magazine supplements, Henbest was appointed as Editor of the ''Journal of the British Astronomical Association'' in 1985, redesigning and revitalising the publication. Henbest was Chairman of

National Astronomy Week National Astronomy Week (NAW) is an event held every few years in the United Kingdom to promote public awareness of astronomy by celebrating notable astronomical events. The last NAW, Mars Encounter, was run during the week of 14–22 November 2 ...

in 1990, which spearheaded the first national campaign against light pollution in the UK.

Eclipses

As guest astronomer, Henbest has led eight expeditions to view total eclipses of the Sun: Sumatra (1988), Hawaii (1991), Aruba (1998), Alderney (1999), Egypt (2006), China (2009), Tahiti (2010) and Idaho, USA (2017).

Personal appearances

Henbest has given presentations around the world, from Australia to Colombia and China, as well as on cruise liners including the Queen Mary 2. He has also led tours of major space centres, from the Apollo Mission Control in Houston to the futurist Spaceport America in New Mexico.

Online

Henbest presents the regular strand ''Nigel goes to Space!'' on the YouTube channel ''Naked Science''.

Radio and television appearances

As an astronomy and space expert, Henbest has appeared on BBC Radio 2, Radio 4, Radio 5Live, Radio Scotland, Radio Wales, British Forces Broadcasting Service and many local UK radio stations. For the BBC World Service, he has filed location reports on solar eclipses, the repair of Hubble Space Telescope and spacecraft encounters with planets and comets. He has also been: * Chairman of ''The Litmus Test'', BBC Radio 4, 1991-93 * Presenter (with Heather Couper) of ''Seeing Stars'', BBC World Service, 1989-2001 As well as being interviewed about breaking news stories on British television channels, Henbest has featured on several major international TV documentary series: * ''2000's Greatest Tragedies'', National Geographic Channel, 2015 * ''The 80's Greatest Tragedies'', National Geographic Channel, 2014 * ''Meteor Strike, Fireball from Space'', Channel 4, 2013 * ''UFO Europe Untold Stories'', National Geographic Channel Henbest was a member of the University of Leicester’s winning team on ''Christmas University Challenge'', BBC2, 30 December 2013.

Television production and scriptwriting

In 1983, Henbest conceived a TV documentary on the pioneering

Infrared Astronomical Satellite The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (Dutch: ''Infrarood Astronomische Satelliet'') (IRAS) was the first space telescope to perform a survey of the entire night sky at infrared wavelengths. Launched on 25 January 1983, its mission lasted ten mon ...

, which was filmed by Quanta production company and screened in the BBC television

Horizon The horizon is the apparent line that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This line divides all viewing directions based on whether i ...

strand. Henbest was consultant on the television series ''The Planets'' and ''The Stars'', presented by Heather Couper in 1985 and 1988 on Channel 4. With Couper and the director of ''The Stars'' series, Stuart Carter, Henbest set up Pioneer Productions later in 1988. Here Henbest wrote and produced TV programmes and series for both British and American broadcasters. They garnered many documentary awards, including four Gold Medals and a Grand Award at the New York Festivals. For ''Universe: Beyond the Millennium'', Henbest won the Glaxo-Wellcome/ABSW Science Writers Award for 1999. He also delivers presentations on Astronomy and Television at international conferences.

Astronaut

In 2009, Henbest signed up with

Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic is an American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and his British Virgin Group retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and operates from New Mexico. The company i ...

for a suborbital flight into space, launching in

SpaceShipTwo The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism. It is manufactured by The Spaceship Company, a California-based company owned by Virgin Galactic. SpaceShipTwo is car ...

from the world’s first purpose-built commercial

spaceport A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport'', and even more so ''cosmodrome'', has traditionally been used for sites capable ...

Spaceport America. As an ambassador for private

human spaceflight Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...

, Henbest has appeared in ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' magazine and presents ''Nigel Goes to Space!'' on YouTube

Bibliography

Books

* ''Space Frontiers'', 1978, Woodpecker, * ''Exploding Universe'', 1979, Marshall Cavendish, * ''Spotter's Guide to the Night Sky'', 1979, Usborne, * ''The Mysterious Universe'', 1981, Ebury, * ''The Restless Universe'', 1982, George Philip, * ''The New Astronomy'', 1983, Cambridge University Press, * ''Astronomy'', 1983, Franklin Watts, * ''Physics'', 1983, Franklin Watts, * ''Observing the Universe'' (ed.), 1984, Blackwell/New Scientist, ; hardback paperback * ''Comets, Stars and Planets'', 1985, Bookthrift, * ''The Planets'', 1985, Pan, * ''Halley's Comet'' (ed.), 1985, New Science Publications, * ''The Sun'' (Space Scientist), 1986, Franklin Watts, UK; US * ''The Moon'' (Space Scientist), 1986, Franklin Watts, UK; US * ''Galaxies and Quasars'' (Space Scientist), 1986, Franklin Watts, UK; US * ''Telescopes and Observatories'' (Space Scientist), 1987, Franklin Watts, UK; US * ''Spaceprobes and Satellites'' (Space Scientist), 1987, Franklin Watts, UK; US * ''The Stars'', 1988, Pan, * ''The Planets'', 1992, Viking, * ''The Space Atlas'', 1992, Dorling Kindersley, * ''The Universe'', 1992, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, * ''Space Shuttle Discovery'', 1993, Channel 4 Books, * ''How the Universe Works'', 1994, Dorling Kindersley, * ''Guide to the Galaxy'', 1994, Cambridge University Press, * ''The Planets: Portraits of New Worlds'', 1994, Penguin, * ''Black Holes'', 1996, Dorling Kindersley, * ''The New Astronomy'' - completely revised second edition, 1996, Cambridge University Press, hardback; paperback * ''Black Holes'', 1997, Channel 4 Books, * ''Big Bang'', 1997, Dorling Kindersley, * ''Is Anybody Out There?'', 1998, Dorling Kindersley, * ''To the Ends of the Universe'', 1998, Dorling Kindersley, * ''Universe'', 1999, Channel 4 Books, hardback; paperback * ''Planets'', 1999, Ladybird, * ''Space Encyclopedia'', 1999, Dorling Kindersley, * ''Space Hopping'': The Planets as You've Never Seen Them Before!, 1999, Egmont, * ''Extreme Universe'', 2001, Channel 4 Books, * ''Mars'': The Inside Story of the Red Planet, 2001, Headline, * ''Encyclopedia of Space'', 2003, Dorling Kindersley, * ''The History of Astronomy'', 2009, Cassell Illustrated (UK), ; Firefly (US), * ''The Story of Astronomy'', 2011, Cassell, * ''The Astronomy Bible: The Definitive Guide to the Night Sky and the Universe'', 2015, Firefly (US), ; Philip's (UK), * ''The Secret Life of Space'', 2015, Aurum, * ''Space Visual Encyclopaedia'', 2016, Dorling Kindersley, * ''The Universe Explained: A Cosmic Q&A'', 2018, Firefly, * ''2022 Stargazing'', 2021, Philip's,

Contributor

* ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Space'', 1976, ed. Ian Ridpath, Macmillan * ''Encyclopedia of Space Travel and Astronomy'', 1979, ed. John Man, Octopus * ''Longman New Universal Dictionary'', 1982, ed. Paul Procter, Longman * ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

'', 1985 Fifteenth Edition, second version, (1985) * ''How is it Done?'', 1990, Reader's Digest * ''Images of the Universe'', 1991, ed. Carole Stott, Cambridge University Press * ''Science Encyclopedia'', 1993, Dorling Kindersley * ''Astronomy Communication'', 2003, edd. André Heck and Claus Madsen, Kluwer * ''Communicating Astronomy'', 2005, ed. T.J. Mahoney, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias * ''Nothing: From Absolute Zero to Cosmic Oblivion, Amazing Insights into Nothingness'', 2013, New Scientist/Profile * ''The Reducatarian Solution'', 2017, ed. Brian Kateman, TarcherPerigee

Magazines

* Columnist for ''The Independent'' newspaper * ''BBC Focus'' magazine * ''New Scientist'' magazine

Television productions

Honours and awards

* DSc (Hon) University of Leicester * Fellow of the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NGO ...

* Winner of the Glaxo-Wellcome/ABSW Science Writers Award, 1999. * Minor planet 3795 Nigel, discovered by

Eleanor Helin Eleanor Francis "Glo" Helin (née Francis, 19 November 1932 – 25 January 2009) was an American astronomer. She was principal investigator of the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Some sources gi ...

, is named in his honor.

References

External links

Nigel Henbest's websiteNational Geographic Channel press release for "The Human Ape"A podcast on astrotalkuk.org talking about his new book History of AstronomyNaked Science YouTube channelNigel Henbest at Amazon.co.ukNigel Henbest at Amazon.comNigel Henbest on Astronomy NowNigel Henbest on The Independent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henbest, Nigel 1951 births Alumni of the University of Leicester Living people 20th-century British astronomers 21st-century British astronomers