Nigel Henbest

Prof Nigel Henbest, BSc, MSci (Cantab), DSc (Hon), FRAS^[1] (born 6 May 1951) is a British astronomer, born in Manchester and educated in Northern Ireland and at Leicester University, where he studied physics, chemistry and astronomy. He did postgraduate research at the University of Cambridge before becoming a freelance science writer. He has written over 50 books and over 1,000 articles on astronomy and space and these have been translated into 27 languages, many of them in collaboration with Heather Couper. Previously he has been Astronomy Consultant to New Scientist magazine, editor of the Journal of the British Astronomical Association 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 3795 Nigel is named after him.^[2][3]

Early life and education

Nigel Henbest was born in West Didsbury, 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, Belfast, and Henbest was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution until the age of 18.

Henbest graduated from the University of Leicester in 1972, gaining a First class honours BSc in astrophysics.^[4] Here, he met fellow astronomy student Heather Couper; 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, Sir Martin Ryle. During 1972-73 Henbest made pioneering observations of the remnant of Tycho’s Supernova (observed by Tycho Brahe in 1572).^[5] Then in 1974 he published the first comprehensive observations of quasars and galaxies made with the newly opened Five Kilometre Telescope.^[6]

Henbest also researched the optical spectra of quasars at the Royal Greenwich Observatory,^[7] before returning to the Department of Geology at Leicester University, to develop and install tiltmeters and a recording seismometer on the active volcano Mount Etna^[8][9]

He has also presented research on ancient astronomical observations to the European Association of Archaeologists ^[10]

Henbest is now an Honorary Professor in the School of Duncan of Jordanstone Art & Design, University of Dundee.

Astronaut

In 2009, Henbest signed up with Virgin Galactic for a suborbital flight into space, launching in SpaceShipTwo from the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport Spaceport America.^[11]

As an ambassador for private human spaceflight, Henbest has appeared in Forbes magazine^[12] and presents Nigel Goes to Space! on YouTube^[13][14]

Bibliography

Henbest’s main professional interest has been the promotion and popularisation of science - astronomy in particular - in the media. In parallel with authoring books, he has contributed widely to magazines, especially New Scientist where he was Astronomy Consultant for ten years 1982-92. With 40 books translated into 27 languages often co-authored 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’^[15]

Magazines

• Columnist for The Independent newspaper ^[16]
• BBC Focus magazine^[17]
• New Scientist magazine^[18]
• BBC Sky at Night

Books

• Space Frontiers, Woodpecker, 1978, ISBN 0856853399
• Exploding Universe, 1979, ISBN 978-0856855092
• Spotter's Guide to the Night Sky, 1979, Usborne, ISBN 0-86020-284-4
• The Mysterious Universe, 1981, Ebury, ISBN 978-0856859380
• The Restless Universe, 1982, George Philip, ISBN 978-0540010691
• The New Astronomy, 1983, ISBN 978-0521256834
• Astronomy, 1983, Franklin Watts ISBN 978-0531046517
• Physics, 1983, Franklin Watts, ISBN 978-0531046524
• Observing the Universe, 1984, ISBN 978-0855207267
• Exploring the Universe (ed.), 1984, Blackwell/New Scientist, ISBN 0-85520-727-2 hardback ISBN 0-85520-726-4 paperback
• Comets, Stars and Planets, 1985, ISBN 0671076078
• The Planets, 1985, Pan ISBN 0330290827
• Halley's Comet (ed.) magazine supplement, 1985, New Science Publications, ISBN 978-0-67107607-8
• The Sun (Space Scientist), 1986/7, Franklin Watts ISBN 0863132693 UK ISBN 0-531-10055-3 US
• The Moon (Space Scientist), 1986/7, Franklin Watts ISBN 0863134726 UK ISBN 0-531-10266-1 US
• Galaxies and Quasars (Space Scientist), 1986/7, Franklin Watts ISBN 0863134734 UK ISBN 0-531-10265-3 US
• Telescopes and Observatories (Space Scientist), 1986/7, Franklin Watts ISBN 0863135277 UK ISBN 0-531-10361-7 US
• Spaceprobes and Satellites (Space Scientist), 1986/7, Franklin Watts ISBN 0863135285 UK ISBN 0-531-10360-9 US
• The Stars, 1988, Pan, ISBN 033030352X
• The Planets, 1992, Viking, ISBN 0-670-83384-3
• The Space Atlas, 1992, ISBN 978-0863188299
• The Universe, 1992, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ISBN 0297831100
• Space Shuttle Discovery, 1993, Channel 4 Books, ISBN 185144081X
• How the Universe Works, 1994, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 0751300802
• Guide to the Galaxy, 1994, ISBN 978-0521458825
• The Planets: Portraits of New Worlds, 1994, ISBN 978-0140134148
• Black Holes, 1996, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 0-7513-5371-X
• Les trous noirs, 1996, ISBN 978-2012916654
• The New Astronomy, 1996, ISBN 978-0521403245
• The New Astronomy (with Michael Marten), 1996, Cambridge Univ. Press, ISBN 0521256836
• The New Astronomy - completely revised second edition (with Michael Marten), 1996, Cambridge Univ. Press, ISBN 0521403243 hardback ISBN 0521408717 paperback
• Black Holes' (with Richard Smith), 1997, Channel 4 TV, ISBN 1851442006
• Le big bang, 1997, ISBN 978-2012917866
• Is Anybody Out There?, 1998, ISBN 978-0751356663
• To the Ends of the Universe, 1998, ISBN 978-0751358254
• DK Space Encyclopedia, 1999, ISBN 978-0789447081
• L'univers, 1999, ISBN 978-2020202473
• Space Hopping: The Planets as You've Never Seen Them Before!, 1999, ISBN 978-0749739973
• Universe, 1999, ISBN 978-0752217123
• L'encyclopédie du ciel et de l'espace, 2001, ISBN 978-0751336412
• Extreme Universe, 2001, ISBN 978-0752261638
• Mars: The Inside Story of the Red Planet, 2001, ISBN 978-0747235439
• L'encyclopédie du ciel et de l'espace, 2003, ISBN 978-2070552306
• Atlas jeunesse du ciel et de l'espace, 2003, ISBN 978-2020125192
• Encyclopedia of Space, 2003, ISBN 978-1405301091
• How It Works: How the Universe Works, 2004, ISBN 978-0895775764
• The Night Sky: (Usborne Spotter's Guide), 2006, ISBN 978-0746073568
• The Story of Astronomy: How the universe revealed its secrets, 2007, ISBN 978-1844035700
• The History of Astronomy, 2009, ISBN 978-1554075379
• The Story of Astronomy: How the universe revealed its secrets, 2011, ISBN 978-1844037117
• Philips Stargazing 2015, 2014, ISBN 978-1849073356
• The Astronomy Bible: The Definitive Guide to the Night Sky and the Universe, 2015, ISBN 978-1770854826
• The Astronomy Bible: (Octopus Bible Series), 2015, ISBN 978-1844038084
• The Secret Life of Space, 2015, ISBN 978-1781313930
• Philips Stargazing 2016, 2015, ISBN 978-1849073912
• Space Visual Encyclopaedia, 2016, ISBN 978-0241228432
• Philips Stargazing 2017, 2016 ISBN 978-1849074254

Plays

• It's All in the Stars! (with Michael Bennett), 1989–90, for Molecule Theatre of Science: staged at the Bloomsbury and Mermaid Theatres in London, and toured nationally.^[19]

Contributor

• Illustrated Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Space, ed. Ian Ridpath (1976) ISBN 9780690018387
• Dictionary of Astronomy
• Longman New Universal Dictionary, ed. Paul Procter (1982) ISBN 9780582555426
• Encyclopædia Britannica, Fifteenth Edition, second version, (1985) ^[20]
• How is it Done? Reader's Digest (1990) ISBN 9780276420085
• Nothing: From Absolute Zero to Cosmic Oblivion, Amazing Insights into Nothingness (2013) ISBN 978-1846685187

Public appearances

In the 1980s, Henbest began to appear regularly on BBC radio, and 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 produced many award-winning programmes and series for both British and American television broadcasters.

He also delivers presentations on Astronomy and Television at international conferences.^[21][22]

Henbest is interviewed regularly on television as an astronomy expert, as well as presenting on the YouTube channel Naked Science.^[23]

Internet

• Naked Science YouTube channel^[24] Learn and discover with Naked Science, the channel dedicated to bringing you the world of science and technology. Henbest presents the regular strand Nigel goes to Space!^[25]
• Presenter of the YouTube Channel Nigel Goes to Space!^[26]

Radio appearances

Regular personal appearances on BBC Radio 2, Radio 4, Radio 5Live, Radio Scotland, Radio Wales, British Forces Broadcasting Service and most local UK radio stations

• Chairman, The Litmus Test, BBC Radio 4, 1991-93^[27][28]
• Presenter (with Heather Couper), Seeing Stars, BBC World Service, 1989-2001^[29]
• Reporter for the BBC World Service: Including location reports on solar eclipses, spacecraft encounters with planets, repair of Hubble Space Telescope.

Television appearances

• 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^[30]
• Contestant on Christmas University Challenge, BBC2, 30 December 2013^[31]
• UFO Europe Untold Stories, National Geographic Channel^[32][33]

Television productions

Appointments and awards

• DSc (Hon) University of Leicester^[37]
• Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Astronomy Consultant, New Scientist 1982-92
• Columnist, The European, 1990–93
• Columnist, BBC Focus magazine, 1993–95
• Public Relations Consultant, Royal Greenwich Observatory, 1982–85
• External Assessor on Astronomy, The Open University, 1984–85
• Public Relations Officer, British Astronomical Association, 1983–85
• Editor, Journal of the British Astronomical Association, 1985-87^[38][39]
• Chairman, National Astronomy Week 1990, first bringing light pollution to public attention^[40]

References

External links

• Nigel Henbest's website
• National Geographic Channel press release for "The Human Ape"
• A podcast on astrotalkuk.org talking about his new book History of Astronomy
• Naked Science YouTube channel
• Nigel Henbest at Amazon.co.uk
• Nigel Henbest at Amazon.com
• Nigel Henbest on Astronomy Now
• Nigel Henbest on The Independent