astronomy

Terence Dickinson

Terence Dickinson 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 Terence Dickinson rather than just read about it. In short: Terence Dickinson (10 November 1943 – 1 February 2023) was a Canadian amateur astronomer and astrophotographer who lived near Yarker, Ontario, Canada. He was the author of 14 astronomy books for both adults and children.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Terence Dickinson (10 November 1943 – 1 February 2023) was a Canadian amateur astronomer and astrophotographer who lived near Yarker, Ontario, Canada. He was the author of 14 astronomy books for both adults and children. He was the founder and former editor of SkyNews magazine. Dickinson had been an astronomy commentator for Discovery Channel Canada and taught at St. Lawrence College. He made appearances at such places as the Ontario Science Centre. In 1994, the International Astronomical Union committee on Minor Planet Nomenclature named asteroid 5272 Dickinson in honour of his "ability to explain the universe in everyday language".

Biography Dickinson was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 10 November 1943. He became interested in astronomy at age five after seeing a bright meteor from just outside his family's home. When he was 14 he received a 60 mm telescope as a Christmas present, the first of nearly 20 telescopes he owned. Past occupations include editor of Astronomy magazine (1974-75) and planetarium instructor. He became a full-time science writer in 1976. He received the 1993 Industry Canada's Michael Smith Award for Public Promotion of Science, the 1993 Canadian Science Writers' Association Award First Place for Science and Technology writing, and the Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal in 1992. In 1995 Dickinson was made a Member of the Order of Canada, which is the nation's highest civilian achievement award. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific awarded him the Klumpke-Roberts Award in 1996. He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Queen's University in 2019. In 1983, Dickinson published NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe. The book includes star charts, tables of future solar and lunar eclipses, planetary conjunctions, planet locations, and other illustrations. The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society described NightWatch as the essential star-watching guide for amateur astronomers of all levels of experience. The book has become the world's best-selling manual for amateur stargazing. Dickinson internationally published twelve titles, primarily through Firefly Books. Dickinson died on 1 February 2023 at the age of 79.

Publications NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe (March 4, 1983) The Universe and Beyond (October 2, 1986) Exploring the Night Sky: The Equinox Astronomy Guide for Beginners (February 22, 1987) Exploring the Sky by Day: The Equinox Guide to Weather and the Atmosphere (September 10, 1988) From the Big Bang to Planet X: The 50 Most-Asked Questions About the Universe... and Their Answers (September 1, 1993; Out of Print) The Backyard Astronomer's Guide (January 15, 1994, with Alan Dyer) Extraterrestrials: A Field Guide for Earthlings (October 1, 1994; Out of Print) Other Worlds: A Beginner's Guide to Planets and Moons (September 5, 1995) Splendors of the Universe: A Practical Guide to Photographing the Night Sky (November 16, 1997, with Jack Newton) Summer Stargazing: A Practical Guide for Recreational Astronomers (April 2, 2005; Out of Print) Hubble's Universe: Greatest Discoveries and Latest Images (September 6, 2012) The Hubble Space Telescope: Our Eye on the Universe (September 27, 2019, with Tracy C. Read)

References

External links SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy and Stargazing The Backyard Astronomer's Guide

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Terence Dickinson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Terence Dickinson 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 Terence Dickinson 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 Terence Dickinson 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 Terence Dickinson

In research: Terence Dickinson 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 Terence Dickinson 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: Terence Dickinson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1943 births, 2023 deaths, 20th-century Canadian astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Terence Dickinson 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 Terence Dickinson in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Terence Dickinson 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 Terence Dickinson out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Terence Dickinson in simple terms?

Why does Terence Dickinson 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 Terence Dickinson?

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 Terence Dickinson.