Dame Maggie Aderin
- Artist: Simon Frederick
- Date: 2016
- Medium: archival inkjet print
- Dimensions: 15 in. x 10 1/4 in. (380 mm x 260 mm) image size; 16 1/2 in. x 11 5/8 in. (420 mm x 295 mm) overall
- Portrays: Dame Maggie Aderin
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is an archival inkjet print by Simon Frederick, created in 2016. The portrait measures 15 inches across the image and shows Dame Maggie Aderin, a British space scientist and presenter of “The Sky at Night.” Her gaze is calm; a simple background emphasizes her profile, while Frederick captures light play on her face with subtle inkjet detail.
Aderin grew up in London as the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. She built her first telescope at fifteen, earned a BSc in physics and a PhD in mechanical engineering from Imperial College. Her career includes work for the Ministry of Defence—missile warning systems and landmine detectors—before turning to space instrumentation: building spectrographs for the Gemini Observatory in Chile and optical equipment for the James Webb telescope. She also runs a company that engages children and adults worldwide with space science.
The portrait sits in the National Portrait Gallery’s Primary Collection (NPG P2058).
See it in person
Dame Maggie Aderin is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
