I have been interested in astronomy and space exploration since childhood. I remember being taken out to the playground at primary school to watch an eclipse of the sun, and the impression it made on me.

I gave my first lectures on space whilst at school in 1969. From 1973 to 1975 I was chairman of the Astronomical Society at what is now the University of Hertfordshire. During this period I gave about 20 lectures on astronomy and space, and also devised and presented a course for three local scout groups for their astronomy badge.

I was a member of the Astronomical Society of Haringey from 1973 to 1977, before working for a time in Utah where I joined the Salt Lake Astronomical Society and gave presentations on astronomy at their meetings. I was interviewed on KSXX radio about my astronomy and space activities.

In 1999 I observed the most amazing astronomical spectacle - a total solar eclipse - not from Cornwall, but from Ramnicu-Vulcea in Romania. I gave two presentations on eclipses and space exploration for the large group which had flown out from England. I was also interviewed on Romanian TV, who broadcast my video footage of the eclipse.

During August and September 2003, I held a public exhibition on astronomy at Welwyn Garden City Library, covering National Astronomy Week and the close approach of Mars.

I have been an active member of LDAS since March 2003, and was elected chairman in 2004. I have assisted in public displays and other events such as the Transit of Venus, when we welcomed school groups and members of the public to our observatory. I have also given several presentations to the society and written articles for their newsletter.

I have done a number of radio interviews about the society with BBC 3 Counties Radio, Jack 106FM (formerly Hertbeat FM), and Chiltern FM.

In 2006 I led a group of 10 astronomers on a trip to see the total eclipse in Turkey.

I am a freelance presenter on Astronomy and Space Exploration. I give public presentations on space across the UK and abroad and I present workshops on astronomy and space for schools at both primary and secondary level. If you are interested in finding out more about these activities, then please contact me at jstone-at-spaceflight-uk.com [Replace "-at-" with "@"]

I began my astronomy activities watching the Moon through my father's binoculars, then with a small telescope, but my major interest is in space exploration. I presented an 8-part evening course on the subject at the University of Hertfordshire during Autumn 2004.

I returned to astronomy around 2001 and I have a Meade ETX-90EC scope with a range of eyepieces, solar filter and other accessories. I have taken some stills through the scope and some very pleasing video sequences of sunspots, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. I took some pictures of the Transit of Venus with a digital camera, and imaging isan area I would like to explore further. I also have a Coronado Solar Telescope.

My other interests include films and books - especially science fiction - photography and genealogy (I have a family tree with several hundred entries on it).

I am now also an international author, having written a book about Apollo 11 which has been published in the UK, the USA, Australia and other places. It's called "One Small Step" and commemorates the first men on the Moon. It is presented as the scrapbook of a young space enthusiast whose grandfather worked in Mission Control during the flight of Apollo 11.

I also write the Space Exploration pages in "Popular Astronomy" - the magazine of the Society for Popular Astronomy.

In 2010 I decided to write an article to commemorate the 400th anniversay of Galileo's discovey of the four main moons of Jupiter. However, my research demonstrated that the standard account of the discovery is incorrect! I am preparing a paper on this. If you would like a presentation on this topic then please contact me.

You can find details of my astronomy and space activities on my website, which gives information about my lectures and workshops for schools: www.spaceflight-uk.com

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SpaceflightUK

Other affiliations:
- Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, the longest-running space society in the UK.
- Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, the UK's leading professional body for astronomy.
- Director of the Mars Society UK, which promotes the exploration of the red planet.
- Director of the Sir Arthur Clarke Awards, the space equivalent of the Oscars, recognising the best of UK space achievement
- Former Chairman of the Space Education Council, which aims to promote and enhance the effectiveness of space education activities.
- Member of the Society for Popular Astronomy, "Britain's brightest astronomical society for more than 50 years"
- Promoter of UK For Aurora, which aims to show the benefits of UK involvement in the ESA long-term Aurora programme. I am happy to give presentations on this to anyone - it doesn't need to be an astronomy or space group.