Outreach

I have been lucky enough to be a Guest Lecturer for two Eclipse of the Century tours to observe solar eclipses. These awe-inspiring events are quite rare, occurring every 18 months or so somewhere on Earth (although it takes ~400 years for two to be visible from the same place). During the few minutes of totality the Sun's outer atmosphere becomes visible and displays an ethereal beauty while the world seems to hold its breath until light and life return once more. The photo above was taken during the August 2017 solar eclipse.

I also had the opportunity to give a fun live interview on solar eclipses for the Science Channel on the day of the 2017 North American solar eclipse.

I've presented and demonstrated at many public and schools outreach events. My favourite demonstration is making comets ('dirty snowballs') with some dry ice, a bit of soil, a dash of ammonia, and a few other ingredients along the way. The dry ice needs to be smashed up into little pieces but fortunately there are usually plenty of enthusiastic helpers around...

This photo was taken during one of the Stargazing Oxford events, probably before we made the comet judging by the lack of mess...

I was invited to debate the benefits of space exploration at The Cambridge Union in 2017, which was a lot of fun matching wits and jokes with the opposition. I was for the motion and we won the debate, although this was probably more to do with there being many benefits of space exploration rather than our debating skills...

I was invited to write for Inspirational Cambridge Scientists about my research, so I wrote about Searching for Life on Exoplanets. You can check out the blog here, which is targeted towards an international teenage audience, along with other great physics, chemistry and biology blogs in the series.

I had the pleasure of being invited to speak to the astronomical society at Sark, a tiny member of the Channel Islands and the world's first dark sky island! It was a fantastic few days spending time with a lovely group of people, staying in the amazing La Seigneurie, and exploring a beautiful little island.

I also had the pleasure of scientific copy editing a lovely children's book The Great Moon Confusion by Richard Byrne, as well as some of the science in the visually stunning Photographing the Deep Sky: Images in Space and Time, by Chris Baker.

Available at all good book stores!

Planet Hunters TESS will soon be seeking your help to find new young transiting exoplanets! Stay tuned for more details in the coming months...