Jacqueline Mitton


Jacqueline Mitton is a British astronomer, writer, and media consultant who lives and works in Cambridge, UK. She studied at Somerville College, Oxford and Murray Edwards College, Cambridge. She has served as Public Relations Officer for the Royal Astronomical Society. From 1987 to 1993, she was the editor of the Journal of the British Astronomical Association. She has authored, co-authored, or contributed to many books.
Mitton's career has focused on bringing astronomy to the public - both adults and children - as a writer. She received a Bachelor of Arts at Oxford University in 1969 and a PhD at Cambridge University in 1975. Her 1998 picture book Zoo in the Sky introduces children to astronomy through an explanation of the stars and animal constellations. Her 2003 book Once Upon a Starry Night introduces children to myths and facts about the Solar System.
She was a county councillor for Cambridgeshire from 1989 to 1993.
Asteroid 4027 Mitton is named after her and her husband Simon Mitton.

Books

Astronomy: an introduction Key definitions in astronomy Discovering Astronomy, with Simon MittonA Visitor's Introduction to the Antarctic and its Environment, with Nigel BonnerInvitation to Astronomy, with Simon MittonGems of Hubble, with Stephen P. MaranDiscovering the Planets The Young Oxford book of Astronomy, with Simon MittonThe Great Comet Crash: The Collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Jupiter, co-edited with John SpencerGalileo: scientist and star gazer Aliens The Marshall children's guide to astronomy, with Simon MittonZoo in the Sky: a book of animal constellations Kingdom of the sun: a book of the planets
  • "Working with the media: the Royal Astronomical Society experience", in Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy II, ed. André HeckStars and planets Once Upon a Starry Night: Heroes and Gods of the Constellations, republished as The Planet GodsOxford Astronomy, with Simon MittonZodiac: celestial circle of the sun Cambridge illustrated dictionary of astronomy Moon I see the moon Titan Unveiled: Saturn's Mysterious Moon Unveiled, with Ralph LorenzSpace From dust to life : the origin and evolution of our solar system, with John Chambers
  • ''The Penguin Dictionary of Astronomy''