Watson, Fred 1944–

PERSONAL: Born 1944.

ADDRESSES: Home—Australia. Office—Anglo-Australian Observatory, Coonabarabran, New South Wales 2357, Australia. E-mail—fgw@aao.gov.au.

CAREER: Anglo-Australian Observatory, Siding Spring near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, astronomer-in-charge.

AWARDS, HONORS: David Allen Prize, for communicating astronomy to the public.

WRITINGS:

Binoculars, Opera Glasses, and Field Glasses, Shire Publications (Princess Risborough, Buckinghamshire, England), 1995.

Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, Australia), 2004.

Contributor to periodicals, including Sky and Space, New Scientist, Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, and Yearbook of Astronomy.

SIDELIGHTS: Fred Watson is the astronomer-in-charge for the Anglo-Australian Observatory at Siding Spring in Australia. The observatory houses two telescopes, including the 3.9-meter Anglo-Australian optical telescope, which is the largest in Australia. In addition to recording the scientific output of the telescope, Watson also speaks frequently on the radio, and has a monthly phone-in show on Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio. Watson's Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope explores the origins of the telescope. Although it is not known precisely who invented the device, or when, Watson provides a wealth of information about the telescope's possible history, including the established facts. He goes on to discuss the impact of the instrument on human development, and how it has been used over the centuries. In addition, the author covers the technical aspects of the telescope and its structure, including lenses and the physics of how it operates. A contributor for Publishers Weekly remarked that Watson "rarely delves deeply," but concluded that "gathering all of this material in one place and presenting it in such an engaging style is a considerable accomplishment." In an article for Kirkus Reviews, a contributor concluded that the book is "a fine piece of science writing, from an author as intelligibly capable as Brian Greene or Richard Dawkins."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2005, review of Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope, p. 582.

Library Journal, June 15, 2005, Sara Rutter, review of Stargazer, p. 96.

Publishers Weekly, May 30, 2005, review of Stargazer, p. 49.

Science News, July 16, 2005, review of Stargazer, p. 47.

Sky and Telescope, August, 1996, William J. Cook, review of Binoculars, Opera Glasses, and Field Glasses, p. 55.

ONLINE

Anglo-Australian Observatory Web site, http://www.aao.gov/ (October 25, 2005), "Fred Watson."

Book Browse, http://www.bookbrowse.com/ (October 25, 2005), "Fred Watson."

Curled Up with a Good Book, http://www.curledup.com/ (October 25, 2005), "Fred Watson."