Heather Couper is an international broadcaster and writer on astronomy, space and science. She did her first degree in astrophysics at Leicester University, and then followed it with research into galaxy clusters at Oxford

Although a scientist by training, she has spent the last twenty years working in the media.She has hosted two major series on British television (C4), and many TV programmes and radio shows - including the long-running series Seeing Stars on BBC World Service. Black Holes, which she produced, took Gold at the New York Film and TV Festival

She has also written over 30 books, including Philip's Stargazing 2008, a regular yearbook of astronomy co-authored with Nigel Henbest. The newest contribution from the Hencoup team is The History of Astronomy, published in 2007. Heather's latest book, Universe, was also published in 2007.

On 2 June 1999 the International Astronomical Union named asteroid number 3922 "Heather" in her honour. Later in 2005, Heather went to Sri Lanka to interview Arthur C. Clarke. Her programme: Arthur C. Clarke: the Science and the Fiction for Radio 4 celebrated the 60th anniversary of Clarke's prediction of communications satellites. And in 2007, she presented another Radio 4 programme: Britain's Space Race, highlighting the UK's contributions to the early years of rocketry.

Away from TV and radio, Heather enjoys communicating science - particularly to adults, where the understanding of controversial issues is critical. From September 1993 to September 1996, she was Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College (founded in the City of London in 1597) - a post that involved giving many public talks. She is past-President of both the British Astronomical Association and the Society for Popular Astronomy. Heather is also Astronomy columnist for The Independent and BBC Focus magazine, and has been a member of the Millennium Commission.