Dickinson was born in
Toronto, Ontario, on 10 November 1943. He became interested in astronomy at age five after seeing a bright meteor from just outside his family's home. When he was 14 he received a 60 mm telescope as a Christmas present, the first of nearly 20 telescopes he owned. Past occupations include editor of
Astronomy magazine (1974-75) and
planetarium instructor. He became a full-time science writer in 1976. He received the 1993 Industry Canada's Michael Smith Award for Public Promotion of Science, the 1993 Canadian Science Writers' Association Award First Place for Science and Technology writing, and the
Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal in 1992. In 1995 Dickinson was made a Member of the
Order of Canada, which is the nation's highest civilian achievement award. The
Astronomical Society of the Pacific awarded him the
Klumpke-Roberts Award in 1996. He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Queen's University in 2019. In 1983, Dickinson published
NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe. The book includes star charts, tables of future solar and lunar eclipses, planetary conjunctions, planet locations, and other illustrations. The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society described
NightWatch as the essential star-watching guide for amateur astronomers of all levels of experience. The book has become the world's best-selling manual for amateur stargazing. Dickinson internationally published twelve titles, primarily through Firefly Books. Dickinson died on 1 February 2023 at the age of 79. ==Publications==