Mark Thompson (astronomer)
| Mark Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mark Thompson 1973 Norfolk, England |
| Occupation | Presenter, writer |
Mark Thompson (born 1973, Norfolk, England)[1] is a British astronomer, television presenter and writer best known for being one of the presenting team on the BBC show Stargazing Live and is a regular face on The Alan Titchmarsh Show. He has been called the "Peoples' Astronomer".[2]
Biography
Thompson has lived in Norfolk all his life and was first enthused about astronomy aged 10 when he saw the rings of Saturn through a telescope.[3] He has remained living in the county because the night skies are very dark and ideal for stargazing.[3]
Thompson had given up his ambition to present on TV and had retrained as a pilot when (in 2009) he was picked to become a presenter on the BBC's The One Show.[4]
Thompson was the first amateur astronomer to become a council member of the Royal Astronomical Society.[4] He is President of the Norwich Astronomical Society.[3]
He is most well known for his role as one of the presenting team of the hit BBC science show Stargazing Live.
As of February 2015 Thompson had 76,200 followers on Twitter.[5]
TV/Radio Appearances
- Presenter of astronomy/science items for The One Show Jul 2009 to Oct 2011
- Presenter of Stargazing Live Jan 2011 to present[6]
- Specialist Presenter on the Alan Titchmarsh Show Jan 2012 to 2014[7]
- Guest on The Wright Stuff 12 Jan 2012
- Monthly Night Sky segment on Radio Five Live Jan 2012 to present
- Derren Brown's Apocalypse episode 1 in Oct 2012[8]
- Celebrity Mastermind Contestant 5 Jan 2013[9]
- Regular guest on This Morning (TV programme) March 2014 to present day.
Written Work
- Columnist for Discovery Space Jul 2010 to present[10]
- Writer for Space Exploration Network Jul 2011 to 2012 [11]
- 'A Down to Earth Guide to the Cosmos' ISBN 978-0593070369 [4]
References
- ↑ Mark Thompson (28 December 2014). "Mark Thompson on Twitter". Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ↑ Ross Clark, 'Hooked on Stargazing', The Sunday Telegraph, 11 April 2010, Lifestyles Section page 16
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 'Norfolk astronomer Mark Thompson ready for the return of BBC’s Stargazing Live', Norwich Evening News, 12 January 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Katherine MacAlister, 'Rising Star', Oxford Mail, 14 February 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/PeoplesAstro/status/549348968506073088
- ↑ Bill Gibb, 'Mark's starry-eyed with his new show', The Weekly News, 1 January 2011, page 8
- ↑ http://alantitchmarsh.wordpress.com/astronomy/
- ↑ http://whatculture.com/tv/derren-brown-apocalypse-part-one-review.php
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008pc8h/celebrities
- ↑ http://news.discovery.com/contributors/mark-thompson/
- ↑ http://www.sen.com