If you don't find him looking at the sky, you will often find him zooming through it as, not only is Mark an enthusiastic astronomer but he is also a qualified pilot. Born in Norfolk he has had a fascination with all things in the sky ever since he was a small boy.

In his quest to show us a new image of astronomers, Mark has worked extensively with local media from newspaper, to radio and TV, his articles have been published in Astronomy Now, the national astronomy magazine.

In May 2010 Mark was elected to the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society. In 2010 Mark wasbeen awarded a position on the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Mark is now a regular contributor to Discovery.com - http://news.discovery.com/contributors/mark-thompson//
Mark has been a contributor on the Sky at Night and The Culture Show. Currently, Mark has the position of the Astronomer on the BBC's 'The One Show' giving him an excellent opportunity to take astronomy into the living rooms of 5 million viewers at prime time!

At the age of 10 he got his first view through a telescope; Saturn, rings and all, hanging there against a velvet black sky. It was for real, not a picture in a book, another world billions of miles away. It ignited a passion that has stayed with him ever since.

For most of his working life, Mark has been an IT Consultant and IT Project Manager but more recently has been working on his flying skills and is in the final stages of qualifying to be an airline pilot.

As an astronomer, he has been keen to show a new, enthusiastic and fresh face to the public and to that end has for the last 20 years, lectured on a vast array of astronomical subjects from the Moon to Black Holes and the end of the Universe. His research interests have chiefly centered on deep space, the study of stars exploding at the end of their lives and of distant galaxies believed to host super-massive black holes in their cores.

He has helped and encouraged countless beginners to evolve their interest in the Universe, primarily through his work as Chairman of his local Astronomical Society. This public outreach work led to him being awarded Fellowship of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Please also see http://www.thepeoplesastronomer.tv/