STAR-CRAVING MAD

A journey through time and space with astronomer Fred Watson.

It's surprising how many people outside the science world still harbour the romantic notion that astronomers spend every night with their eyes clapped to giant telescopes, looking for things. The most frequent question astronomer Fred Watson is asked by members of the public is 'Have you found anything – recently?' Sadly, the answer is usually 'no'. That's because finding new things is only a small part of what astronomers do, compared with investigating things they already know about. People sense that in this, the biggest of big sciences, there might be answers to some of the most profound questions we can ask: questions about the nature of space and time, about our ultimate origins, the meaning of life, and perhaps even spirituality. Nevertheless, astronomy does provide a broader framework than most sciences for deliberations about issues big and small. And in Fred Watson we have the most witty, funny and knowledgeable companion to take you on this ride through space, ruminating on Pluto's demotion from planetary status, Peru's ancient sky-watchers, sustainable space science, microbes, the sheer pleasure of an eternal quest for knowledge and maybe, just maybe, the meaning of life. Professor Fred Watson is astronomer in charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory at Coonabarabran and is a regular broadcaster on ABC radio. In 2003 Fred received the David Allen Prize for communicating astronomy to the public, and in 2006 was the winner of the Australian Government Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science. Fred has an asteroid named after him but says that if it hits the Earth it won't be his fault. His previous books for Allen & Unwin are Why is Uranus Upside Down? and Stargazer.