Heather Couper CBE FInstP FRAS
Heather Anita Couper
Born	Heather Anita Couper (1949-06-02)2 June 1949 Wallasey, England
Died	19 February 2020(2020-02-19) (aged 70) Aylesbury, England
Alma mater	University of Leicester Oxford University
Awards	CBE FInstP FRAS Sir Arthur Clarke Award
Scientific career
Fields	Astronomy
Institutions	Cambridge Observatory Greenwich Planetarium Pioneer Productions
Website	http://www.hencoup.com/

Heather Anita Couper,CBE FInstP FRAS^[1] (2 June 1949 – 19 February 2020) was a British astronomer, broadcaster andscience populariser.

After studyingastrophysics at theUniversity of Leicester and researching clusters of galaxies atOxford University, Couper was appointed senior planetarium lecturer at theRoyal Observatory, Greenwich. She subsequently hosted two series onChannel 4 television –The Planets andThe Stars – as well as making many TV guest appearances. On radio, Couper presented the programmeBritain’s Space Race as well as the 30-part seriesCosmic Quest forBBC Radio 4. Couper served as president of theBritish Astronomical Association from 1984 to 1986^[2] and was Astronomy Professor in perpetuity atGresham College, London. She served on theMillennium Commission, for which she was appointed aCBE in 2007.Asteroid3922 Heather is named in her honour.^[3]

Born on 2 June 1949 inWallasey,Cheshire,^[4] Couper was the only child of George Couper and Anita Couper (née Taylor). At the age of seven or eight, she was watching planes in the night sky because her father was an airline pilot when she unexpectedly witnessed a bright greenmeteor. Her parents said there was no such thing; but a newspaper headline the next day referred to a "green shooting star," and Couper then determined to become an astronomer.^[5]

She attended St Mary's Grammar School (merged withSt. Nicholas Grammar School in 1977 to becomeHaydon School) on Wiltshire Lane inNorthwood Hills,Middlesex. At the age of 16, she wrote to British television astronomerPatrick Moore asking if she would be able to take up a career in astronomy, and received the reply "being a girl is no problem at all"!^[6]

After two years as a management trainee, with thePeter Robinson fashion store and its Top Shop division (nowTopshop), Couper joinedCambridge Observatory as a research assistant in 1969, becoming a Fellow of theRoyal Astronomical Society in 1970.^[6] She graduated from the University of Leicester in 1973 with aBSc in Astronomy and Physics. At Leicester, she met fellow astronomy studentNigel Henbest; they formed a working partnership – Hencoup Enterprises – that focuses on astronomy popularisation. She then researched at the Department of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, whilst a postgraduate student atLinacre College, Oxford.^[4]

From 1977 to 1983, Couper was Senior Lecturer at the Caird Planetarium of the Old Royal Observatory at Greenwich (superseded in 2007 by thePeter Harrison Planetarium), leaving to become a freelance writer and broadcaster.^[6] In 1984, she was elected President of the British Astronomical Association, the first woman and the second-youngest person to hold the position. Couper served as President of the Junior Astronomical Society (now theSociety for Popular Astronomy) in 1987–9.^[3] TheLondon Planetarium invited Couper to write and present its major new 1988 public show,Starburst!^[7]

Couper was appointed Professor of Astronomy atGresham College in 1993 – the first female professor in the 400-year history of the college – and held the position until 1996.^[8]

From 1978, Couper wrote over 40 popular-level books on astronomy and space, many in collaboration with Henbest.^[9] According to one reviewer, Couper and Henbest are 'great storytellers with an eye for a colourful character'.^[10]

Her articles appeared in leading astronomy and science magazines, includingBBC Sky at Night,BBC Focus andNew Scientist. She was a columnist forThe Independent online newspaper.^[11]

In 1999, the Royal Astronomical Society andLa Société Guernesiaise invited Couper to deliver keynote lectures on the forthcomingtotal solar eclipse, the first visible from the British Isles since 1927. Couper also led expeditions to view total eclipses of the Sun in Sumatra (1988), Hawaii (1991), Aruba (1998), Egypt (2006), China (2009) and Tahiti (2010).^[12]

Couper's international lecture tours and public speaking engagements ranged from the US to China; Colombia to New Zealand. She was the chief guest celebrity speaker on the maiden voyage of theP&O cruise shipArcadia and gave presentations onCunard'sQueen Mary 2 andQueen Victoria. In 1986, Couper was aboardConcorde on its first flight from London toAuckland, New Zealand, as the astronomer responsible for showing passengersHalley's Comet while flying at 18,000 metres over the Indian Ocean.^[13]

Couper appeared at many festivals, including theBrighton Festival, theCheltenham Science Festival andThe Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival. Her corporate work included keynote presentations toBritish Gas,AXA SunLife andIBM.

Couper presented many programmes and series on BBC Radio 4, including the liveStarwatch series,Worlds Beyond andThe Modern Magi.^[14] She won the 2008Sir Arthur Clarke Award forBritain's Space Race on Radio 4's Archive Hour.^[15]

She also made numerous appearances onBBC Radio 2, Radio 4 andRadio 5Live, as well as regional and local radio stations across the UK. In 2008 Couper presented the 30 x 15-minute Radio 4 seriesCosmic Quest, on the history of astronomy.^[3]

Her major series forBBC World Service Radio ranged fromA Brief History of Infinity andThe Essential Guide to the 21st Century, to the long-runningSeeing Stars (presented with Nigel Henbest).^[16]

Outside astronomy, Couper was a guest presenter on the Radio 4 flagship programmesWoman’s Hour, theJohn Dunn Programme, andStart the Week. She showcased her interests in literature and local history in presenting episodes of Radio 4’sWith Great Pleasure andDown Your Way, and in classical music by selecting her "pick of the Proms" forIn Tune onBBC Radio 3.^[17]

Couper appeared as an astronomy expert on news and current affairs programmes, and presented many series and programmes, mainly on Channel 4.^[8]

Her first TV appearances were as a guest onThe Sky at Night, a long-running series hosted by Patrick Moore.^[9] Couper (with Terence Murtagh) presented the 1981 children's seriesHeavens Above, produced by Yorkshire Television for theITV network.^[9]

In 1985, Couper presented the seven-part seriesThe Planets forChannel 4, followed in 1988 by the six-partThe Stars. Her television presentational roles includedThe Neptune Encounter (ITV),A Close Encounter of the Second Kind (Horizon,BBC2) andStephen Hawking: a Profile (BBC4).^{[citation needed]}

She narrated many factual TV programmes, ranging fromEkranoplan: The Caspian Sea Monster (Channel 4) toRaging Planet (Discovery Channel).^{[citation needed]}

Couper, along with Henbest and Stuart Carter (director of her seriesThe Stars), foundedPioneer Productions, an independent UK TVproduction company creating factual programming, in 1988.^[18] Couper presented the company’s first documentary,The Neptune Encounter, in 1989, coveringVoyager 2's flyby ofNeptune. As producer, Couper's TV credits for Channel 4 include the award-winningBlack Holes andElectric Skies, along with the seriesUniverse: Beyond the Millennium. Couper left Pioneer Productions in 1999 to concentrate on more general radio and TV appearances.^[6]

In 1993, Couper was invited to join the newly created Millennium Commission, as one of nine commissioners responsible for distributing money from theNational Lottery to projects that would celebrate and commemorate the new millennium. She was one of only two commissioners (along withMichael Heseltine) who stayed in post from the commission’s inception until it was wound up in 2009.^[19]

For her work on the Millennium Commission, as well as her promotion of science to the public, Couper was appointed aCBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2007.^[20]

Couper died atStoke Mandeville Hospital on 19 February 2020 at the age of 70 after a short illness.^[21]

• Times Educational Supplement Senior Information Book Award 1987^[2]
• HonoraryDoctor of Letters,Loughborough University 1991
• HonoraryDoctor of Science,University of Hertfordshire 1994
• Honorary Doctor of Science, Leicester University 1994
• Gold Medal, New York Festivals 1993, 1995, 1998
• Banff Rockie Award 1995
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 2007

• Space Frontiers, 1978, Woodpecker,ISBN 0856853399
• Exploring Space, 1980, Hennerwood,ISBN 978-0907812753
• Heavens Above!, 1981, Franklin Watts,ISBN 978-0531042878
• The Restless Universe, 1982, George Philip,ISBN 978-0540010691
• Astronomy, 1983, Franklin WattsISBN 978-0531046517
• Physics, 1983, Franklin Watts,ISBN 978-0531046524
• The Planets, 1985, PanISBN 0330290827
• The Universe: A Three-Dimensional Study (pop-up book), 1985,Random House,ISBN 0-394-54691-1
• Halley's Comet Pop-Up Book, 1985, Hamlyn,ISBN 978-0603004469
• The Stars (Space Scientist), 1985, Franklin WattsISBN 978-0531100547 UKISBN 978-0863132681 US
• The Planets (Space Scientist), 1985, Franklin WattsISBN 978-0531100011 UKISBN 978-0863132667 US
• Comets and Meteors (Space Scientist), 1985, Franklin WattsISBN 978-0863132674 UKISBN 978-0863132674 US
• The Sun (Space Scientist), 1986, Franklin WattsISBN 0863132693 UKISBN 0-531-10055-3 US
• The Moon (Space Scientist), 1986, Franklin Watts,ISBN 0863134726 UK;ISBN 0-531-10266-1 US
• Galaxies and Quasars (Space Scientist), 1986, Franklin WattsISBN 0863134734 UKISBN 0-531-10265-3 US
• Telescopes and Observatories (Space Scientist), 1987, Franklin WattsISBN 0863135277 UKISBN 0-531-10361-7 US
• Spaceprobes and Satellites (Space Scientist), 1987, Franklin WattsISBN 0863135285 UKISBN 0-531-10360-9 US
• The Stars, 1988, Pan,ISBN 033030352X
• The Space Atlas, 1992,ISBN 978-0863188299
• How the Universe Works, 1994, Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 0751300802
• Guide to the Galaxy, 1994, Cambridge University Press,ISBN 978-0521458825
• Black Holes, 1996, Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 0-7513-5371-X
• Big Bang, 1997, Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 978-0789414847
• Is Anybody Out There?, 1998, Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 978-0751356663
• To the Ends of the Universe, 1998, Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 978-0751358254
• Universe, 1999, Channel 4 Books,ISBN 0752217127 hardback;ISBN 0752272551 paperback
• Space Encyclopedia, 1999, Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 978-0789447081
• Extreme Universe, 2001, Channel 4 Books,ISBN 978-0752261638
• Mars: The Inside Story of the Red Planet, 2001, Headline,ISBN 978-0747235439
• Encyclopedia of Space, 2003, Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 978-1405301091
• Universe: stunning satellite images from outer space, 2006, Cassell Illustrated (UK)ISBN 978-1844034376; Thunder Bay (US)ISBN 978-1592236992
• The History of Astronomy, 2009, Cassell Illustrated (UK),ISBN 978-1844035700; Firefly (US),ISBN 978-1554075379
• The Story of Astronomy, 2011, Cassell,ISBN 978-1844037117
• The Astronomy Bible: The Definitive Guide to the Night Sky and the Universe, 2015, Firefly (US),ISBN 978-1770854826; Philip's (UK),ISBN 978-1844038084
• The Secret Life of Space, 2015, Aurum,ISBN 978-1781313930
• Space Visual Encyclopaedia, 2016, Dorling Kindersley,ISBN 978-0241228432
• 2019 Stargazing, 2018, Philip's,ISBN 978-1849074803
• The Universe Explained: A Cosmic Q&A, 2018, Firefly,ISBN 978-0228100829

• With Great Pleasure, 1987, BBC Radio 4
• Down Your Way, 1989, BBC Radio 4
• Seeing Stars (monthly series), 1990–2001, BBC World Service
• The Modern Magi, 1995, BBC Radio 4
• Starwatch (6-part series), 1996, BBC Radio 4
• Naming the Universe (5-part series), 1999, BBC Radio 4
• The Essential Guide to the 21st Century (5-part series), 2000, BBC World Service
• Red Planet (3-part series), 2003, BBC Radio 4
• Worlds Beyond (3-part series), 2004/5, BBC Radio 4
• Arthur C. Clarke: the Science and the Fiction, 2005, BBC Radio 4/BBC World Service
• A Brief History of Infinity (2-part series), 2006, BBC World Service
• Britain’s Space Race, 2006, BBC Radio 4, winner of the 2008Sir Arthur Clarke Award
• Cosmic Quest (30-part series), 2008, BBC Radio 4

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