 In 1958, his father was appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry at Queen’s University in Belfast, and Henbest was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution until the age of 18.Henbest graduated from the University of Leicester in 1972, gaining a First Class honours BSc in astrophysics.Here, he met fellow astronomy student Heather Couper; they formed a working partnership - Hencoup Enterprises - that focuses on astronomy popularisation.