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astronomy

Jacqueline Mitton

Jacqueline Mitton is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jacqueline Mitton rather than just read about it. In short: Jacqueline Mitton (née Pardoe, born 1948) 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.

Key takeaways

  • Jacqueline Mitton belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Jacqueline Mitton to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Jacqueline Mitton from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jacqueline Mitton (née Pardoe, born 1948) 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 also 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 and 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 (not a complete list)

Astronomy: an introduction (1978) Key definitions in astronomy (1980) Discovering Astronomy (1983), with Simon Mitton A Visitor's Introduction to the Antarctic and its Environment (1984), with Nigel Bonner Invitation to Astronomy (1986), with Simon Mitton Gems of Hubble (1996), with Stephen P. Maran Discovering the Planets (1991) The Young Oxford book of Astronomy (1994), with Simon Mitton The Great Comet Crash: The Collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Jupiter (1995), co-edited with John Spencer Galileo: scientist and star gazer (1997) Aliens (1998) The Marshall children's guide to astronomy (1998), with Simon Mitton Zoo in the Sky: a book of animal constellations (1998) Kingdom of the sun: a book of the planets (2001) "Working with the media: the Royal Astronomical Society experience", in Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy II (2001), ed. André Heck Stars and planets (2002) Once Upon a Starry Night: Heroes and Gods of the Constellations (2003), republished as The Planet Gods Oxford Astronomy (2003), with Simon Mitton Zodiac: celestial circle of the sun (2004) Cambridge illustrated dictionary of astronomy (2007) Moon (2009) I see the moon (2010) Titan Unveiled: Saturn's Mysterious Moon Unveiled (2010), with Ralph Lorenz Space (2016) From dust to life : the origin and evolution of our solar system (2017), with John Chambers The Penguin Dictionary of Astronomy (various editions)

References

External links New Scientist review of Titan Unveiled New Scientist review of Invitation to Astronomy Autobiographical piece

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jacqueline Mitton

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jacqueline Mitton claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jacqueline Mitton before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jacqueline Mitton ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jacqueline Mitton

In research
Jacqueline Mitton appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Jacqueline Mitton in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Jacqueline Mitton is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1948 births, 20th-century British astronomers, 20th-century British non-fiction writers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Jacqueline Mitton outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Jacqueline Mitton in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Jacqueline Mitton means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Jacqueline Mitton out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jacqueline Mitton in simple terms?

Jacqueline Mitton (née Pardoe, born 1948) 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.

Why does Jacqueline Mitton matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jacqueline Mitton?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jacqueline Mitton.

Tags

  • 1948 births
  • 20th-century British astronomers
  • 20th-century British non-fiction writers
  • 20th-century British women writers
  • 21st-century British astronomers
  • 21st-century British non-fiction writers
  • 21st-century British women writers
  • Alumni of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge
  • Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford
  • British science writers
  • British women astronomers
  • British women science writers

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