Speaker profile

Summary

Retired engineer, marketing manager and Teacher (Physics & Maths).

Full biography

Looking up at the sky is one of my oldest memories. My father would point out constellations and planets for me. I joined the Pilgrim School astronomy club in 1967, at age 11, and have pursued the hobby ever since. I was given the Larousse Encyclopaedia of Astronomy as a school prize in my third year (now year 10), which I studied avidly. As a schoolboy, I was privileged to meet Sir Patrick Moore at a lecture given by Arthur C. Clarke in London. I was the boy on the bus with his earphones in, listening to the updating news on Apollo 13 on my journey to and from school. I am a retired teacher of Physics and Mathematics. I shook hands with Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock at the Bristol Beacon (Colston Hall). I was recently at a Radio astronomy conference where we met Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell. I now run two U3A Astronomy groups in the West Country, providing two talks per month. I volunteer at the Bristol Planetarium and assist with stargazing evenings with the local YACWAG group, supporting local teenagers.

I have a BSc Honours degree in Electronic Engineering, a Diploma in Telecommunications, a Marketing degree from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and online certificates from Udacity for Physics and the Open University for Astronomy.

My interests cover all aspects of Astronomy, from its history of discovery to the intricacies of particle physics and quantum physics.

My experience in Marketing and teaching provides the experience to enable me to communicate my passion for astronomy to as wide an audience as possible.

Stargazing sessions

Mr Chris W Followell can host stargazing sessions including guided tours of the night skies and observing using telescopes or binoculars.

Affiliations