Ian Ridpath
Origin:
Born 1947 May 1, Ilford, Essex.
Current location:
Brentford, west London.
Contact details:
ian @ ianridpath.com
Career:
I have been a full-time writer,
broadcaster, and lecturer on astronomy and space since 1972.
Previously I worked at the University of London Observatory and
in publishing. I am a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
(Council member 2004–07), as well as a member of the
Society of Authors and of the Association of British Science
Writers. I run my own desktop publishing system for producing
books and magazines.
Books:
Over 40 book titles as author or editor.
These include a series of three sky guides illustrated by Wil
Tirion, the world’s foremost celestial map maker: the Collins Guide to Stars and Planets, a standard field
guide for amateur astronomers (published in the US as the Princeton Field Guide to Stars and Planets); The
Monthly Sky Guide, a month-by-month introduction to the stars, now
in its seventh edition; and Gem
Stars,
a pocket guide to the constellations, regularly reprinted
I am editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy and of Norton’s Star Atlas. I was also General Editor
of the Collins Encyclopedia of the
Universe.
Three of my early books concerned
extraterrestrial life and interstellar travel: Worlds Beyond, Messages from the Stars, and Life off Earth.
My favourite books are Star Tales, about the mythology of the constellations, and The Times Universe, a pictorial tour from the Earth to the farthest
reaches of the cosmos.
Broadcasting:
Over the years I have appeared on numerous
news and current affairs programmes on radio and television,
discussing developments in astronomy and space or describing
what can be seen in the sky. I was space correspondent for LBC
Radio and for the original BBC TV Breakfast Time programme.
I subsequently moved to Sky News.
Journalism:
My writing has appeared in newspapers and
magazines throughout the world. From 1986 to 1992 I was editor
and then editor-in-chief of Popular
Astronomy, a UK magazine for amateur
astronomers. I am an occasional contributor to Astronomy Now and
chair their annual AstroFest conference,
the largest event of its kind in Europe. I wrote the London
Planetarium programme Planet Earth, which ran from 1993 to 1995. For over 10 years
I wrote a monthly star spot for BBC
Wildlife magazine. However, I
regard myself primarily as an author of books.
Lecturing:
I am a lecturer in the Cunard Insights programme, in conjunction with the Royal
Astronomical Society.
Hobbies:
In the case of astronomy, I have made a
career out of my hobby. Apart from astronomy my main interest
since the 1980s has been road running. In 1985 I combined the
two interests by running the London Marathon dressed as
Halley’s Comet (see photographic evidence below). My
eleventh (and last) marathon was the Midnight
Sun Marathon in Tromsø,
Norway, which seemed a suitably astronomical event on which to
finish. For three years I was Race Director of the Polytechnic Marathon,
from Windsor to Chiswick, Britain’s oldest marathon race,
now sadly deceased.
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Into orbit: Halley’s Comet finishes the 1985 London Marathon –
the best chance that most people in London had to see the Comet.
More recently, I have come to appreciate
the merits of allowing four legs to do the running for me
– see below. I am part-owner of a racehorse called Hevelius (after the Polish astronomer), in training with Walter
Swinburn. He is a son of the Group-1-winning miler Polish
Precedent. I am also an admirer of the contemporary British
artists Peter Brown and David Tress. I
collect postage stamps with an
astronomical theme.
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Four-legged friend: Me and Betty, a sweet-natured 16-hander
at Ealing Riding School.
I have been involved with the Committee for
Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal and am a UFO skeptic. I observe
with naked eye, binoculars, and small telescope from my home in
Brentford, West London.
Awards:
In 1986 I was Highly Commended in the
annual British Science Writers Awards for my investigation and
explanation of Britain’s most famous UFO case in
Rendlesham Forest near Woodbridge US Air Force base in Suffolk.
I first investigated the case for BBC TV’s Breakfast Time
and published a subsequent report in The Guardian. Further
details of the case can be
found on this website.
The Giant Book of Space, published by Hamlyn, was a category winner in the
1990 Science Book Prizes.
Work in progress and forthcoming
engagements:
A weekly Star Map article for the partwork
publication Build a Model Solar
System. An 8th edition of The Monthly Sky Guide.
Whirlpool Star Party, Birr Castle, Ireland, September 27
Royal Astronomical Society public lecture,
October 14.
Lectures and
demonstrations, Queen Mary 2,
November 29–December 9.
Last updated: 2008 July.
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