Ian Ridpath is an English astronomer, author, and broadcaster. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a former President of the Society for Popular Astronomy. He is best known for his popular astronomy books, including Star Tales and The Oxford Guide to the Night Sky. He has also written extensively on the history of astronomy, and has presented numerous radio and television programmes on the subject. He is a regular contributor to BBC Sky at Night magazine and has written for many other publications. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Buckingham and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford.