The return of Professor Brian Cox and his Stargazing Live series to BBC Two has resulted in an almost 500% increase in sales of telescopes on Amazon's UK website.
In what has been dubbed the "Brian Cox effect", Amazon UK saw a 491% uplift in sales of telescopes in the hours after the programme, co-presented by Cox with comic Dara O'Briain, relaunched on Monday.
Sales of telescopes on Amazon.co.uk, including models ranging from £18 to more than £350, are currently over three times higher than they were in 2011.
The interest in Cox has also seen sales of his books more than double on Amazon since the physicist and former musician appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show.
"In the three hours following Stargazing Live being aired we saw an almost six-fold increase in sales of telescopes," said Neil Campbell, the camera & photo store manager at Amazon.co.uk.
"Each time the popular physicist appears on TV we see a jump in telescope sales and that would appear to point to a significant 'Brian Cox effect' encouraging a renewed interest in stargazing."
