How special is our solar system?

Colin Stuart

When astronomers started looking deeper into universe, they expected to end up looking in the mirror. To find copies of the solar system reflected back at them. Instead, what they found is far more interesting. There are planets that simply don't exist around the Sun. Hellish worlds that whip around their stars in hours, planets that spin around two Suns and worlds bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.

In this talk you'll hear about how we find these alien worlds and the ways we're trying to find out if any of them are like Earth and maybe even home to life. We'll also look at the things that make the solar system increasingly unique, like the role Jupiter plays in keeping us safe.

Colin is a multi-award-winning astronomy author, writer and speaker who has talked to over half a million people about the universe, including schools, the public and businesses. His twenty books have sold more than 400,000 copies worldwide and been translated into 23 languages. He has written over 250 popular science articles for publications including The Guardian, New Scientist, The Wall Street Journal, Sky and Telescope and European Space Agency.

In recognition for his efforts to popularise astronomy, the asteroid (15347) Colinstuart was named after him. He won The Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction in 2020 and the Solar Physics Popular Media Award in 2022. He’s also been runner-up in the European Astronomy Journalism Prize.  A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, he has talked about space on Sky News, BBC News and Radio 5Live.

Colin is a superb speaker and he's talks are extremely informative and entertaining - definitely not one to miss!

£2 for members and £3 for visitors.

This is a physical meeting held at Standalone Farm but it will also be available on Zoom.

Please purchase your ticket via MemberMojo to receive the Zoom link if you wish to view from home.