Simon Barnes

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Simon Barnes is a British journalist. He was chief sports writer of The Times until 2014, and wrote a wildlife opinion column in the Saturday edition of the same newspaper. He has written three novels. The son of Edward Barnes, a co-creator of the BBC children's TV programme Blue Peter, Barnes was educated at Emanuel School, and studied English literature at the University of Bristol, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2007. After beginning his journalism career on local newspapers in Britain, he travelled to Hong Kong, where he wrote for travel magazines and, briefly, the South China Morning Post. After his return to Britain, he became a sports writer for The Times, being promoted in time to the position of Chief Sports Writer. He is the author of 16 books, including three novels. His latest book, Birdwatching With your Eyes Closed: An Introduction to Birdsong, was published in 2011. Barnes has appeared in a number of programmes on BBC Radio 2, including a reading of his book How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher. Barnes lives in Norfolk. He was on The Times team at the 2012 London Olympics, the seventh summer Games that he has covered for the newspaper. In March 2009 he was runner-up in the Sports Journalists' Association's 'Sports Columnist of the Year' award, an award he won in 2008. In June 2014 Barnes was sacked by The Times after 32 years' employment, the newspaper having informed him it could no longer afford to pay his salary. Speculation in some sections of the UK media was that the real reason may have been Barnes's outspoken views expressed in his wildlife opinion column. The column blamed illegal activity by red grouse shooting interests for the continued persecution and near extinction of the hen harrier in England. Writing on his blog, which he began after leaving The Times in 2014, Barnes wrote: "Certainly I have annoyed some powerful people."

Bibliography with Nik Wheeler (1981). China in focus. Hong Kong: CFW Guidebooks. pp. 63p. : chiefly col ill. ISBN 962-7031-12-7. Phil Edmonds: a singular man. London: Kingswood. 1986. pp. xi, 179p, [8]p of plates : ill., ports., 24cm. ISBN 0-434-98092-7. Eamonn McCabe, photographer. London: Kingswood. 1988. pp. xxii, 88 p. : ill., ports., 29 cm. ISBN 0-434-98147-8. Horsesweat and tears a year in John Dunlop's racing stable. London: Heinemann Kingswood. 1988. pp. xii, 228p, 8p. of plates, 24cm. ISBN 0-434-98152-4. A la recherche du cricket perdu. London: Macmillan London. 1989. pp. v, 137p : ill, 21cm. ISBN 0-333-48722-2., winner of The Cricket Society/MCC Book of the Year A Sportswriter's Year. London: Heinemann London. 1989. pp. v, 224p : ill, 25cm. ISBN 0-434-98180-X. Flying in the face of nature a year in Minsmere Bird Reserve. London: Pelham. 1992. pp. xi, 227p, 25cm. ISBN 0-7207-2005-2. with Peter Jackson (1994). Tiger!. London: Boxtree in association with Tigress Productions and Meridian Broadcasting. pp. 160p, 29cm. ISBN 1-85283-931-7. Rogue Lion Safaris. London: HarperCollins, London. 1997. pp. 320 p. : col. ill.., 33cm. ISBN 0-00-649849-3. Hong Kong Belongers. London: HarperCollins, London. 1999. pp. 320 p., 33cm. ISBN 0-00-651195-3. with Alan Marks (2000). Planet Zoo: One Hundred Animals We Can't Afford to Lose. London: Orion Children's. pp. 264 p. : col. ill.., 28 cm. ISBN 1-85881-488-X. Miss Chance. London: HarperCollins, London. 2000. pp. 288 p., 27 cm. ISBN 0-00-651196-1. How to be a bad birdwatcher: To the greater glory of life. London: Short. 2004. pp. 198 p. : ill., 21 cm. ISBN 1-904095-95-X. A bad birdwatcher's companion --or a personal introduction to Britain's 50 most obvious birds. London: Short. 2005. pp. 281 p. : ill., 21 cm. ISBN 1-904977-37-5. The meaning of sport. London: Short. 2007. pp. 365 p., 20 cm. ISBN 978-1-904977-85-8. with Joseph Barnes (2008). How to be wild. London: Short. pp. 1 v. : ill., 20 cm. ISBN 978-1-906021-48-1. The Horsey Life. London: Short. 2008. pp. 288 : ill., 25 cm. ISBN 978-1-906021-42-9. Birdwatching With your Eyes Closed: An Introduction to Birdsong. London: Short. 2011. p. 288. ISBN 978-1-907595-47-9. Ten Million Aliens. London: Short. 2014. pp. 480 p. ISBN 978-1780721422. Rewild Yourself: 23 Spellbinding Ways to Make Nature More Visible. London: Simon and Schuster UK. 2018. p. 208. ISBN 978-1471175404. On the Marsh: A Year Surrounded by Wildness and Wet. Simon & Schuster UK. 2019. ISBN 978-1-4711-6849-9. The Year of Sitting Dangerously: My Garden Safari. London: Simon and Schuster UK. 2023. p. 336. ISBN 978-1398518902. Barnes, Simon (2025). Twelve Books to Furnish a Room. London: Anthony Powell Society. ISBN 978-0-9956267-9-9.

References

External links

Official website Bristol University profile

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Simon Barnes

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Simon Barnes 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 Simon Barnes 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 Simon Barnes 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 Simon Barnes

In research: Simon Barnes 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 Simon Barnes 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: Simon Barnes is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Alumni of the University of Bristol, Birdwatchers, British sportswriters, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Simon Barnes 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.

How to study Simon Barnes in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Simon Barnes in simple terms?

Simon Barnes is a British journalist. He was chief sports writer of The Times until 2014, and wrote a wildlife opinion column in the Saturday edition of the same newspaper.

Why does Simon Barnes 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 Simon Barnes?

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 Simon Barnes.