[1] He has discovered several minor planets and has written four popular science books.
He is a member of the International Astronomical Union,[2] and has worked at the Xerra Earth Observation Institute in Nelson, in the South Island of New Zealand.
[citation needed] Steel completed a PhD at the University of Canterbury in 1984 with a thesis on the orbital characteristics of meteoroids.
[7][8] In August 2022 Steel pleaded guilty to burglary and breaching the New Zealand Harmful Digital Communications Act.
He was sentenced to 12 months' house arrest and ordered to pay $3000 in reparation for emotional harm.