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==Professional associations==
==Professional associations==
He joined the Scottish branch of the BIS ([[British Interplanetary Society]]) in 1962. He was on the committee which drew up the Constitution of ASTRA ([[Association in Scotland to Research into Astronautics]]) as an independent society in 1963, and redrafted it as the "Memorandum and Articles of a Company Limited by Guarantee" in 1974. He has been a Council member since December 1963 with only two short breaks, and has been Treasurer, President, Vice-President, Treasurer, President, Secretary and President again during that time. He has been exhibition organiser and on the publications committee since 1970, editing ASTRA's publications in 1982 and 1992-96<ref>{{cite web|url=http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~portwin/ASTRA/People/Members/duncan_lunan.html |title=ASTRA website |date=1999-07-31 |accessdate=2009-08-24}}</ref>.
He joined the Scottish branch of the BIS ([[British Interplanetary Society]]) in 1962. He was on the committee which drew up the Constitution of ASTRA ([[Association in Scotland to Research into Astronautics]]) as an independent society in 1963, and redrafted it as the "Memorandum and Articles of a Company Limited by Guarantee" in 1974. He has been a Council member since December 1963 with only two short breaks, and has been Treasurer, President, Vice-President, Treasurer, President, Secretary, President, Treasurer and Secretary again during that time. He has been exhibition organiser and on the publications committee since 1970, editing ASTRA's publications in 1982 and 1992-96<ref>{{cite web|url=http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~portwin/ASTRA/People/Members/duncan_lunan.html |title=ASTRA website |date=1999-07-31 |accessdate=2009-08-24}}</ref>.


In 1978-79 he was Manager of the [[Glasgow]] Parks Dept. [[Astronomy]] Project, which built the first astronomically aligned [[stone circle]] in [[Great Britain|Britain]] for 5000 years in [[Sighthill,_Glasgow|Sighthill]] Park<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brocweb.com/spire/sighthillalignments.html |title=Sighthill Park stone circle |date= |accessdate=2009-09-01}}</ref> (a project that was not completed due to the withdrawal of funds by the new [[Margaret_Thatcher|Thatcher]] government)<ref>Geoff Holder, "The Guide to Mysterious Glasgow" - The History Press Ltd., ISBN 978-0752448268, published 2009-02-02)</ref>, and among many other ASTRA conferences he organised one on [[archaeoastronomy]] at the Third Eye Centre in 1978, "Heresies in Archaeoastronomy" at the [[Edinburgh International Science Festival]] in 1996 and its follow-up events in [[Glasgow]].
In 1978-79 he was Manager of the [[Glasgow]] Parks Dept. [[Astronomy]] Project, which built the first astronomically aligned [[stone circle]] in [[Great Britain|Britain]] for 5000 years in [[Sighthill,_Glasgow|Sighthill]] Park<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brocweb.com/spire/sighthillalignments.html |title=Sighthill Park stone circle |date= |accessdate=2009-09-01}}</ref> (a project that was not completed due to the withdrawal of funds by the new [[Margaret_Thatcher|Thatcher]] government)<ref>Geoff Holder, "The Guide to Mysterious Glasgow" - The History Press Ltd., ISBN 978-0752448268, published 2009-02-02)</ref>, and among many other ASTRA conferences he organised one on [[archaeoastronomy]] at the Third Eye Centre in 1978, "Heresies in Archaeoastronomy" at the [[Edinburgh International Science Festival]] in 1996 and its follow-up events in [[Glasgow]].


He was Acting Curator of [[Airdrie Public Observatory]] in 1979-80 and was Assistant Curator in 1987-97, becoming a curator again in 2002 and continuing to 2008. In 2006 and 2007 he ran astronomy education projects funded by the [[/National_Lottery_(United_Kingdom)|National Lottery]]'s "Awards for All", with outreach to schools and community groups, followed by a larger project funded by [[Heritage_Lottery_Fund|Heritage Lottery]] for 2007-2008. His monthly astronomy column "The Sky above You" has appeared in various newspapers and magazines since 1973.
He was Acting Curator of [[Airdrie Public Observatory]] in 1979-80 and was Assistant Curator in 1987-97, becoming a curator again in 2002 and continuing to 2008. ASTRA ceased to run the Observatory for North Lanarkshire District Council in May 2009. In 2006 and 2007 Lunan ran astronomy education projects funded by the [[/National_Lottery_(United_Kingdom)|National Lottery]]'s "Awards for All", with outreach to schools and community groups, followed by a larger project funded by [[Heritage_Lottery_Fund|Heritage Lottery]] for 2007-2008. His monthly astronomy column "The Sky above You" has appeared in various newspapers and magazines since 1973.


In 1987, he contributed to the launch of the [[Glasgow Science Fiction Writers Circle]] by agreeing to teach a science fiction writing class. He is still a member of the Circle<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.williamson01.fsnet.co.uk/gsfwc/ |title=GSFWC website |date=2007-03-09 |accessdate=2009-08-27}}</ref>.
In 1987, he contributed to the launch of the [[Glasgow Science Fiction Writers Circle]] by agreeing to teach a science fiction writing class. He is still a member of the Circle<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.williamson01.fsnet.co.uk/gsfwc/ |title=GSFWC website |date=2007-03-09 |accessdate=2009-08-27}}</ref>.

Revision as of 20:00, 23 March 2010

Duncan Alasdair Lunan, born on the 24th of October 1945 in Edinburgh but living in Glasgow[1], is a Scottish astronomer and science writer.

Education

Lunan studied English, Philosophy, French, Physics and Astronomy at Glasgow University[1], graduating with Honours in 1968. He added a postgraduate Diploma in Education, with Merit and Exemption, in 1984. Having completed the first third of a postgraduate Diploma in Management in 1969-70, he converted it to a Scottish Vocational qualification in Management in 2000.

Professional associations

He joined the Scottish branch of the BIS (British Interplanetary Society) in 1962. He was on the committee which drew up the Constitution of ASTRA (Association in Scotland to Research into Astronautics) as an independent society in 1963, and redrafted it as the "Memorandum and Articles of a Company Limited by Guarantee" in 1974. He has been a Council member since December 1963 with only two short breaks, and has been Treasurer, President, Vice-President, Treasurer, President, Secretary, President, Treasurer and Secretary again during that time. He has been exhibition organiser and on the publications committee since 1970, editing ASTRA's publications in 1982 and 1992-96[2].

In 1978-79 he was Manager of the Glasgow Parks Dept. Astronomy Project, which built the first astronomically aligned stone circle in Britain for 5000 years in Sighthill Park[3] (a project that was not completed due to the withdrawal of funds by the new Thatcher government)[4], and among many other ASTRA conferences he organised one on archaeoastronomy at the Third Eye Centre in 1978, "Heresies in Archaeoastronomy" at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in 1996 and its follow-up events in Glasgow.

He was Acting Curator of Airdrie Public Observatory in 1979-80 and was Assistant Curator in 1987-97, becoming a curator again in 2002 and continuing to 2008. ASTRA ceased to run the Observatory for North Lanarkshire District Council in May 2009. In 2006 and 2007 Lunan ran astronomy education projects funded by the National Lottery's "Awards for All", with outreach to schools and community groups, followed by a larger project funded by Heritage Lottery for 2007-2008. His monthly astronomy column "The Sky above You" has appeared in various newspapers and magazines since 1973.

In 1987, he contributed to the launch of the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers Circle by agreeing to teach a science fiction writing class. He is still a member of the Circle[5].

Publications

Duncan is a full-time writer on astronomy, space flight and science fiction; his books include Man and the Stars [6](published in the USA with the titles Interstellar Contact and The Mysterious Signals from Outer Space), New Worlds for Old[7] and Man and the Planets[8], created as book projects within the society, and he had guest chapters in the other two books published with ASTRA participation, Extraterrestrial Encounter by Chris Boyce and The High Frontier edited by Bob Low. His current book project, Children from the Sky, was an ASTRA discussion project in 1994-95 and he is writing the text for a current project, Incoming Asteroid!, editing a second, Man and the Earth: The Politics of Survival, and co-writing the text for Building the Martian Nation, a book project of the Scottish Branch of the Mars Society.

His published work comprises three books to date, contributions to 16 other books, and altogether 30 short stories and about 600 articles. He was science fiction critic of the Glasgow Herald 1971-85, ran the paper's SF and fantasy short story competitions 1986-2002, founded the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers Circle in 1987 by agreeing to teach a science fiction writing class (he is still a member of the Circle), edited Starfield, Science Fiction by Scottish Writers for Orkney Press in 1989, to which he also contributed with a short story, "The Square Fella". Currently he writes Hawke's Notes for Jeff Hawke's Cosmos[9], the books and magazines published by the Jeff Hawke Club, reprinting the classic Jeff Hawke comic strip from the Daily Express, 1954-1972, continued in syndication to 1988.

Epsilon Boötis

In 1973, while writing for Spaceflight - the in-house publication of the BIS - Duncan Lunan rose to international fame for his claims of having intercepted and interpreted an undeciphered message caught in the late 1920s by two geophysicists[10]. This message, according to Lunan, comes directly from a probe orbitating around the Moon and sent there by the inhabitants of a planet orbiting around Epsilon Boötis[11]. Such story got a wide echo and reached such a relevant publication as Time Magazine[12]. Lunan later withdrew his Epsilon Boötis theory, presenting proofs against it and clarifying why he was brought to formulate it in the first place[13].

References

  1. ^ a b Duncan Lunan (2007-04-19). "Duncan Lunan's CV". Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  2. ^ "ASTRA website". 1999-07-31. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  3. ^ "Sighthill Park stone circle". Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  4. ^ Geoff Holder, "The Guide to Mysterious Glasgow" - The History Press Ltd., ISBN 978-0752448268, published 2009-02-02)
  5. ^ "GSFWC website". 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  6. ^ "Man and the Stars". 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  7. ^ "New Worlds for Old". 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  8. ^ "Man and the Planets". 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  9. ^ William Rudling (2006-08). "Jeff Hawke's Cosmos - notes". Retrieved 2009-08-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Sverre Holm (2004-03-16). "The Five Most Likely Explanations for Long Delayed Echoes". Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  11. ^ "Spaceprobe from Epsilon Bootes" by Duncan Lunan, in "Spaceflight" (British Interplanetary Society), 1973
  12. ^ "Message from a Star". 1973-04-09. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  13. ^ Analog Science Fiction and Fact, v118 #3, March 1998; "Epsilon Boötis Revisited" by Duncan Lunan

Sources

Information from Man and the Stars and ASTRA website

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