Wil Tirion

Wil Tirion (19 February 1943 – 5 July 2024) was a Dutch uranographer (celestial cartographer). His work, which included star charts and atlases, was widely distributed and renowned by astronomers.^[1][2]

Wil Tirion
Tirion in 2022
Born	(1943-02-19)February 19, 1943
Died	July 5, 2024(2024-07-05) (aged 81) Capelle aan den IJssel, Netherlands[1]
Notable work	Sky Atlas 2000.0 Uranometria 2000.0

Originally a graphic designer, Tirion became a full-time celestial cartographer after the success of his first star atlas, Sky Atlas 2000.0, published in 1981.^[1] His second major work, Uranometria 2000.0, contained over 280,000 stars and 10,000 deep-sky objects across two volumes and was published by Willmann-Bell in 1987.^[1][2] Tirion's sky charts have also been published in astronomy magazines and books, as well as on astronomy websites.^[1]

Tirion's early work was largely done by hand, with computer-generated plots as references. In the mid-1990s, he switched to digital illustration.^[1]

Tirion died on 5 July 2024 at the age of 81 after a brief illness.^[1][2] The asteroid 4648 Tirion is named for him.^[2]

Works

• Lovi, George; Tirion, Wil (1989). Men, Monsters, and the Modern Universe. Richmond, VA: Willmann-Bell. ISBN 0-943396-24-7.
• Tirion, Wil; Skiff, Brian (1990). Bright Star Atlas 2000.0. Richmond, VA: Willmann-Bell. ISBN 0-943396-27-1.
• Tirion, Wil; Sinnott, Roger (1998). Sky Atlas 2000.0 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Sky Publications. ISBN 0-933346-87-5.
• Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil (2000). Wild Guide: Night Sky Star Finder. London, UK: Collins. ISBN 0007100833.
• Tirion, Wil; Rappaport, Barry; Remaklus, Will (2001). Uranometria 2000.0: Deep Sky Atlas (2nd ed.). Richmond, VA: Willmann-Bell. ISBN 0-943396-73-5.
• Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil (2002). Atlas of the Night Sky. London, UK: Collins. ISBN 0007103611.
• Ridpath, Ian; Tirion, Wil (2004). Collins gem: Stars. Glasgow, UK: Collins. ISBN 0007178581.
• Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil (2004). Night Sky. London, UK: Collins. ISBN 0007177909.
• Ellyard, David; Tirion, Wil (2008). The southern sky guide (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-71405-1.
• Crossen, Craig; Tirion, Wil (2008). Binocular Astronomy (2nd ed.). Richmond, VA: Willmann-Bell. ISBN 978-0-943396-88-0.
• Tirion, Wil (2011). The Cambridge Star Atlas (4th ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-17363-6.
• Mullaney, James; Tirion, Wil (2011). The Cambridge Atlas of Herschel objects. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-13817-8.
• Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil (2011). Collins Night Sky & Starfinder. London, UK: Collins. ISBN 9780007436163.
• Heifetz, Milton D.; Tirion, Wil (2012). A Walk Through the Southern Sky (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-69898-7.
• MacEvoy, Bruce; Tirion, Wil (2015). The Cambridge Double Star Atlas (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK. ISBN 9781107534209.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Ridpath, Ian; Tirion, Wil (2017). Stars & Planets (5th ed.). London, UK: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-823972-5.
• Heifetz, Milton D.; Tirion, Wil (2017). A Walk Through the Heavens (4th ed.). Cambridge, UK. ISBN 978-1-108-16374-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Ridpath, Ian; Tirion, Wil (2019). The Monthly Sky Guide (10th ed.). Mineola, NY: Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-83259-3.
• Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil (2021). 2022 Guide to the Night Sky: A Month-by-Month Guide to Exploring the Skies Above Britain and Ireland. Glasgow, UK: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-839353-3.
• Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil (2021). 2022 Guide to the Night Sky: A Month-by-Month Guide to Exploring the Skies above North America. London, UK: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-846986-3.
• Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil (2021). 2022 Guide to the Night Sky: A Month-by-Month Guide to Exploring the Skies above Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Glasgow, UK: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-846980-1.
• Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil (2021). Night Sky Almanac 2022. Glasgow, UK: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-846988-7.

Notes

1. Schilling, Govert (9 July 2024). "Wil Tirion, 1943–2024". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
2. Famed celestial mapmaker Wil Tirion has died