Friday, July 30, 2004
Mark A. Garlick
I am a former professional astronomer. I graduated from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UK, with a Ph.D. in astrophysics in September 1993, and secured a research post in theoretical astronomy at the University of Sussex, in Brighton. But in 1996 I put down the telescope and am now a full-time science writer, illustrator and fine artist, working on a freelance basis. Because of my academic background, I specialise in the accurate depiction of astronomical phenomenon, balancing my scientific knowledge with an artistic sense.
Since starting my freelance career, my images have appeared in their hundreds in magazines and books (often on the covers), in other publications and on television, and my artwork has won international acclaim three years running in an international digital art contest partially sponsored by Scientific American, Boeing and others.
I have written for several outlets, including The Guardian, New Scientist, Scientific Computing World, Modern Astronomer, Quest, Astronomy Now, Scientific American, Astronomy and Sky & Telescope – the latter three being US publications. I have also written four books: two were published in 2002, one will be published in March 2004, and for the other, a novel, I have yet to seek publication.