Fred Watson

Fred Watson is an astronomer and popular scientist.

Early life

Watson was born in Bradford, England on 14 December 1944, where he lived in Cemetery Road with his mother, father and grandfather. Later he was joined by a brother John. He went to school at Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School where he became hooked on astronomy. He developed early a love of distances, trains and music. These three passions still exist in his life, have continued to grow and become his life and career.

His higher education was in Scotland, beginning an academic career. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of St Andrews (BSc, 1967) and later did a master's degree in astronomy (MSc, 1975). In 1987, for a thesis on Multi-Object Astronomical Spectroscopy with Optical Fibreshe gained his PhD from the University of Edinburgh.

To pay for his studies Fred played guitar in folk clubs of Scotland and northern England alongside fellow performers such as Billy Connolly.

Career

In 1995 Watson became the Astronomer in charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory, 20mins drive from Coonabarabran at Siding Spring. The AAO operates the Anglo-Australian Telescope and UK Schmidt telescopes on behalf of the astronomical communities of Australia and the UK. Currently the Observatory is funded by the Australian and British Governments. Its function is to provide world-class observing facilities for British and Australian optical astronomers. He also participates in observing for the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) measuring the radial velocities and metallicities of up to 1 million stars in our Milky Way Galaxy and is active in developing instrumentation.

Watson is known by the general public though for his work with science outreach. In 2003 he received the [David Allen Prize] and then the 2008 Eureka Award for Science Communication. In combining his love of music and astronomy with Ross Edwards, Australian Composer, he won an APRA award in 2008, for the Choral work of the Year. "Star Chant", the choral fourth symphony of Australian composer Ross Edwards, for which Fred wrote the text. This multi-media work also uses celestial images by David Malin, and was premiered at the Adelaide Festival in March 2002. It has also been performed in the Sydney Opera House. Fred contributed the text for a new Edwards choral piece, Mountain Chant, premiered by the Melbourne Chorale in June 2003.

Another award received in 2008, was that of the Queensland Literary Prize for Science Writing, for his third book Why Is Uranus Upside Down? (Allen & Unwin) a light-heartedly collection of many of the questions received on the ABC Radio slot from a ten year period. It was then released in the UK by Summersdale. His second book Stargazer, the life and Times of the Telescope (Allen & Unwin) has been published in America, The Netherlands, Korea, America, and most recently Japan. Watson's first book was Binoculars, Opera Glasses and Field Glasses (Shire Album). A wide cross-section of the public read articles written by Watson in Australian Geographic, and Sir Patrick Moore's Yearbook of Astronomy in the UK.

Fred is an honorary Professor of Astronomy in the University of Southern Queensland, an adjunct Professor in the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences in the Queensland University of Technology, and an adjunct Professor at James Cook University. Fred is a Board member of the NSW Foundation for Public Education, and a member of the Education Advisory Group of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Steering Committee. He also has an asteroid named after him (Fred Watson 5691).

Sources

• www.fredwatson.com.au
• http://www.aao.gov.au/AAO/local/www/fgw/
• http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=311&author=306
• http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/APRAAwards/ClassicalAwards/History/2008Winners.aspx