Fred Watson

For the Australian footballer, see Fred Watson (footballer).
Fred Watson

Fred Watson answering a question at Macquarie University on 22 July 2014.
Born (1944-12-14) 14 December 1944
Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Nationality British
Fields Astronomy
Institutions Australian Astronomical Observatory
Alma mater University of St Andrews (BSc 1967, MSc 1975)
University of Edinburgh (PhD 1987)
Thesis Multi-Object Astronomical Spectroscopy with Optical Fibres (1987)
Website
www.fredwatson.com.au

Frederick Garnett "Fred" Watson AM (born 14 December 1944) is an English-born astronomer and popular scientist in Australia. In 1995 Watson became astronomer in charge of the Australian Astronomical Observatory, but is best known for his work with science outreach, for which he has written many books, as well as musical and choral works. On top of his many nationwide radio slots with the ABC, Watson has also been a frequent guest on The Project. In January 2010, Watson was made a member of the Order of Australia for service to astronomy, particularly the promotion and popularisation of space science through public outreach.

Early life

Watson was born in 1944 near Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire in England, where he attended Belle Vue Boys' School.[1] He completed his higher education at University of St Andrews, Scotland, where he obtained a degree in mathematics and physics in 1967. In 1975 he completed his masters degree in astronomy at St Andrews and gained his PhD from University of Edinburgh in 1987.[Note 1]

Watson confesses developing "an early love of music", which he used to help pay for his studies by playing guitar in folk clubs,[1] and which he now applies in his work with Science Outreach.

Career

Astronomy

Fred Watson is the Astronomer-in-Charge and Head of Lighting and Environment at the Australian Astronomical Observatory, a division of the Commonwealth Department of Industry and Science which operates the Anglo-Australian and UK Schmidt telescopes on behalf of the astronomical community of Australia. To this end the Observatory is part of, and is funded by, the Australian Government. Its function is to provide world-class observing facilities for Australian optical astronomers.

Watson's background is in observational astronomy, photonics, spectroscopy and instrumentation with research interests in large-scale spectroscopic surveys and the history of science. His current scientific activities centre around the RAVE survey, the GALAH galactic archaeology survey and the two forthcoming surveys – Taipan (galaxies) and FunnelWeb (stars).

Watson was the Project Manager for the Radial Velocity Experiment (RAVE), measuring the radial velocities and metallicities of up to 1 million stars in the Milky Way Galaxy and was active in developing instrumentation for this project by developing robotic wide-field fibre-optics systems for the 1.2 m UK Schmidt Telescope and the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope.

The countries taking part in RAVE were Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, the UK and the USA. Professor Matthias Steinmetz, Director of the Leibnitz Astrophysical Institute at Potsdam in Germany, led the collaboration. The research team, completed the project which was aimed at learning where stars in our Galaxy were born, and how the Galaxy has grown and changed over time.

From 2003 the RAVE team collected data on the brightness, colour, distance and movements of almost half a million stars, revealing a 'dwarf' galaxy swallowed and shredded by our own galaxy, stars with unusual chemistry, and the way our galaxy wobbles. It has also re-weighed the galaxy.

The light from the stars was captured with optical fibres, precisely positioned by a robot. The robot picks up optical fibres, one by one, and places them on a metal plate in the telescope. Each fibre is in the right place to catch the light from a single star. By using many fibres, more than 100 stars can be studied at the same time. Travelling down the tiny glass threads, the starlight enters an instrument that spreads it out into its component wavelengths or 'colours', the way a prism does. These colours tell astronomers about the chemical elements a star contains and how it is moving. From that, the astronomers can work out how old the stars are, where they came from, and how they are related. And that's the key that unlocks the history of our Galaxy.

All this was achieved with the UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST). After the bushfire on 13 January 2014, and almost a decade of work, astronomers using the telescope finished writing the first chapter in the history of our Galaxy.

Watson is an Adjunct Professor in the University of New South Wales, Western Sydney University, University of Southern Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology. He is also an honorary Fellow at Macquarie University.

Other positions currently held:

Science Outreach

Outreach is hard work. Fred Watson (on guitar) and Amanda Bauer (on ukulele) provide a musical interlude at the 2014 celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the AAT.

Fred averages 250 radio and TV broadcasts, 60 popular-level talks and several popular level articles per year. His radio work is based around weekly segments and other guest slots, with commentaries on astronomy and space news. TV segments include regular appearances on ABC News 24 and The Project (Channel 10).

TV highlights include the "retrial" of Galileo on Compass (ABC 1, 2010), and a much-publicised 60 Minutes segment on the Large Hadron Collider (Nine Network, 2012).

Talks have included the AAO/ANU Bart Bok Lecture (1996), the Australian Institute of Physics Youth Lecture Series, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania (2001–02), the AAO Allison Levick Lecture (Birmingham, UK, 2005), and the Peter Canisius Public Lecture (Buffalo, NY, 2005). Frequent talks have been given at USQ, QUT, UNSW, UWS, the Australian Museum, Australian Geographic, NSW Education Department, Royal Institution of Australia, etc. Other appearances include the Adelaide Writers’ Festival, 2009, the Sydney Writers' Festival, 2008, 2010 and 2013, the Melbourne Writers' Festival, 2013, TEDx events (Macquarie University 2012, QUT 2013 and Pittwater 2014), and on board MV Sun Princess (2012). The Fred Watson Presents… series of popular science talks in Sydney began in 2014, and have continued in 2015.

He has also written 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.

Awards

Books

Fred Watson in 2013

Watson has written several popular science books.

Papers and articles: List of 300 publications. About half are specialist technical and research papers, and the remainder popular-level articles (including the regular 'Space' column in Australian Geographic since 2005).

Music

Travelling

Since 2007, Watson has been a special guest and key instigator in astronomy tourism ventures. This provides a new vehicle for engaging the public in science is tourism. While taking leave from AAO Fred has led the following tours:

Notes

  1. ↑ Watson, F.G. (1987). Multi-object astronomical spectroscopy with optical fibres (PhD). Edinburgh University. Retrieved 3 January 2013.

References

  1. 1 2 Buchanan, Matt (25 January 2010). "Starstruck from an early age". The Brisbane Times. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  2. ↑ "Astronomer Fred Watson wins Communication Award". Anglo-Australian Observatory. 21 July 2003. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Fred Watson". Royal Institution of Australia. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Boleyn, Tilly (26 August 2006). "Eureka Prizes 2006". Transcript: Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Science Show. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Queensland Premier's Literary Awards winners". 2008 Science Writer Award. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "It's an Honour: Australia Celebrating Australians". Australian Government. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "AG's astronomer wins science writing award". Australian Geographic. NineMSN. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Prize for Science Writing". 2013 WINNER: University of New South Wales Press Ltd.
  9. ↑ ""Out of this World" Honour for Australian Astronomer". Anglo-Australian Observatory.
  10. 1 2 "2008 Winners". APRA|AMCOS. July 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  11. ↑ Watson, Fred (2013). Star-Craving Mad. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. p. 316. ISBN 9781742373768.
  12. ↑ Cerebona, Ron (22 May 2015). "Griffyn Ensemble's Northern Lights at NGA seeks to enlighten". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  13. ↑ Edwards, Ross; Mills, Richard, (Conductor.); Sexton, Timothy, (Director.); Crossin, Carl, (Director.); Adelaide Philharmonia Chorus; Adelaide Symphony Orchestra; Adelaide Chamber Singers (2007), Star chant, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, retrieved 3 January 2013, Booklet includes programme notes, 'The astronomy of Star Chant' by Fred Watson
  14. ↑ Edwards, Ross; Fred Watson; Hildegard Saint (2005), Mountain chant three sacred choruses, Ricordi, retrieved 5 January 2013

External links

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