Look Who it Was Random video

The universe: Fred Watson at TEDxMacquarieUniversity

3,650 views · Published 15 October 2012 · 15:17 · Indexed 30 September 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2012 · Science & Technology

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Fred Watson says he spent so many years working in large telescope domes that he has started to look like one. He is Astronomer in Charge of the Australian Astronomical Observatory at Coonabarabran, where his main scientific interest is gathering information on very large numbers of stars and galaxies. He is also an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology, the University of Southern Queensland and James Cook University.

Fred is well-known for his astronomy slots on ABC radio, and his recent books including "Stargazer -- the Life and Times of the Telescope", "Why is Uranus Upside Down? and Other Questions About the Universe, (which won the 2008 Queensland Premier's Literary Prize for Science Writing) and the ABC's new blockbuster, "Universe", for which he was chief consultant. 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. Most recently, in January 2010, Fred was awarded Member of the Order of Australia for service to astronomy, particularly the promotion and popularisation of space science through public outreach.

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