The BAA Honours our former Vice-President
At the BAA Exhibition Meeting at the Cavendish Laboratories in Cambridge on 26 June 2004 the President, Tom Boles, presented Neil Bone with the highly prized Merlin Medal, in recognition of his many contributions to amateur astronomy and observing.
Neil joined our Society in the late 70s while he was a student at Edinburgh University, and he was also a leading member of the University Astronomical Society. He had, however, already been contributing observations of aurora, noctilucent clouds and meteors from his home near Campbeltown while still at school. He worked as a research technician at the University after he took his BSc and became Vice-President of our Society.
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He was in line to become our President but unfortunately was made redundant and was forced to move south, first to Cambridge then to the University of Sussex where he is now a research fellow in molecular biology. It was a good move for his astronomical career, he carries out a lot of observing from the clearer skies of Sussex south of Chichester, even of the aurora and NLC, and he married a fellow astronomer and member of the South Downs Society, Gina Turner. The photo shows Neil and Gina with their children Miranda and George. Neil is now Director of the BAA Meteor Section, he has written several papers and articles on aurora, NLC, meteors and monthly sky diaries for the BAA and for Astronomy Now for which he is on the editorial panel as Contributing Consultant. He has just completed his 6th book for the amateur observer, the others being:
- The Aurora - Sun-Earth Interactions, Wiley, 2nd Edn. 1996
- Philip's Observer's Handbook - Meteors, 1993
- Observing Meteors, Comets, Supernovae and other Transient Phenomena, Springer-Verlag 1999
- Guide to the Constellations, Astronomy Now 2002
- Philip's Mars Observer's Guide, 2003
Neil is also much in demand as a lecturer by astronomical and other societies, travelling all over the country.
Other Scots who have been awarded the Merlin Medal are: Robert McNaught, Dr Alastair Simmons and Russell Eberst.
