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Well, here it is. My newest StarTalk Radio podcast recorded in June at The Planetary Society in LA. We had such fun recording this as we were joined by my comic co-host Mo Welch, who is hilarious, and our guest was the fantastic David Oh from JPL. We got to chat all about comets, asteroids and the Psyche mission of which David is the mission architect. This is a mission which Lindy Elkins-Tanton (who I had as a StarTalk guest for a show about space water a couple of years ago) is PI for. Unfortunately Lindy wasn’t available to come meet us in LA so she suggested we chat with David and I’m so pleased he was able to join us and share some of the reasons why NASA want to journey to this fascinating metal world. The asteroid, like the mission that will explore it, is also called Psyche. Launch isn’t set for a fair few years (mid-2022) but it’ll be fun to join them for the ride over the next few years as they finish designing and then building the spacecraft and instruments that will go on it, then head to the launchpad for a journey into the asteroid belt. I can’t wait.

 

P.S. I will also note that this is the day I got a tour of the Planetary Society by the one and only Bill Nye – the Science Guy. It was a bit surreal to be honest, made even better by the fact I decided to give him a signed copy of my book, and he gave me a signed copy of his book in return!!

The Perseids meteor shower just reached it peak. Did you get out to see any shooting stars? Were you wondering what exactly you saw? In this podcast I chatted with BBC Science Focus editor Alexander McNamara all about comets and asteroids, the Solar System, and how a special comet is the source of those spectacular shooting stars every August.

The link to the podcast is here.

I’m so excited that my book Catching Stardust has been chosen by Space.com on their list for Best Astronomy and Astrophysics Books AND Best Space Summer Reads!

Also, in June I spoke with Chelsea Gohd of Space.com all about comets, asteroids and my book, the interview of which can be seen here. They included an excerpt of Catching Stardust too, it’s here.

Here’s Chelsea’s review of Catching Stardust on Space.com:

In her debut book “Catching Stardust,” space scientist Natalie Starkey breaks down misconceptions about comets and asteroids while delving into some of the reasons why it is so vital that we study them. Using the Rosetta and Stardust missions to frame both how and why we study these cosmic objects, Starkey reflects on the history of our human understanding of comets and asteroids.

Starkey starts with earlier civilizations, that often interpreted comets to be fiery omens in the sky, and leads to present day, where there is an ever-evolving line between what constitutes a comet versus an asteroid. She doesn’t shy away from controversial topics, either — she tackles the topics of asteroid mining and asteroid collision with factuality, openness, and ease. And, while some of the terms and scientific concepts in the book might seem intimidating at first, Starkey does an expert job laying out explanations in a way that is uniquely accessible. ~Chelsea Gohd

While I probably don’t stand a chance of being short-listed, I still thought it would be fun to enter the BBC Earth Presenter Search 2018. I spent a sweaty morning in the Sequoia National Forest at the beautiful Lake Kaweah. The dog needed a zoom around anyway so it was a good opportunity to head over there. And in between throwing sticks for the pup, I recorded a little 1 minute video about my favourite science/nature fact…it’s all about Earth’s water, one of my favourite subjects. So, check it out here:

 

Ooops, it’s taken me far too long to post this…but better late than never!

On May 5th I was lucky enough to attend the launch of the NASA InSight mission to Mars. You can read more about my experience, and what the mission is doing, on my StarTalk Radio blog here. I not only got to attend the media briefing but also experience tower rollback a few hours before the launch…it was an unforgettable few days (except it would’ve been nice if the fog had cleared)!

Here’s a few pictures of my experience anyway…

 

I was delighted to have my profile included in the Edinburgh Alumni magazine. You can see it here.

I spoke about my time in Edinburgh and how my PhD influenced my current career. I also have some advice for  Edinburgh students (teaser: mostly it involves getting out of the pub and enjoying everything the city has to offer).

Although my visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was last week, I’m posting about it now because 1) I have time and 2) it’s National Park Week (Apr 21 to Apr 29). I feel so lucky to be based in the US at the moment and have the chance to visit some of the amazingly beautiful national parks.

Anyway, last week was my first visit to Hawaii, and what a fascinating place it is. Of course, it appeals to most people because of its perfect climate (if you don’t mind a bit of rain…having lived in California’s Central Valley for nearly 3 years now, I don’t mind seeing rain!), but it is also absolutely gorgeous, and has some active volcanoes too!

I was based with my family on Oahu, very close to Waikiki beach which, although very busy with tourists, is a great place to stay and the beach is perfect! We took a hike up Diamond Head one day, which is an old tuff cone crater. Once at the top, it affords lovely views of Waikiki and the luscious scenery all around…well worth the slightly sweaty climb to the top.

 

On one day we planned a trip to Big Island, which is a short flight from Oahu. Flying in I saw the peak of Mauna Loa, but when we landed we were stuck in cloud until the afternoon. The drizzle didn’t dampen our spirits though, and certainly didn’t stop Kilauea putting on a show either. I was very excited to see lava in the Halema’uma’u crater, it was absolutely fascinating to watch.

Now, when can I plan my return visit?…

 

 

 

I’m very, very excited to announce that I’ve been invited to attend the launch of the NASA InSight mission to Mars as a reporter for StarTalk radio. The launch is scheduled for early on May 5th but I’ll be down near Vandenberg Air Force Base, where the launch is happening, from May 3rd to soak up the atmosphere and interview a few of the scientists involved. Watch this space for more news.

I’ll be chatting with Joshua Fields at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) on June 28th in San Francisco. If you fancy hearing more about my life and work studying comets and asteroids then come along. More information and tickets are available here.

I’ll also be signing copies of my book Catching Stardust after the event.

 

I have exciting news. I’ve been commissioned to write a second popular science book with Bloomsbury. I finished my first book, Catching Stardust, in 2017 and it’s OUT NOW. However, as soon as I’d finished writing, I was missing it. The dilemma was that I needed to find a whole new topic to write about. After a few discussions with Jim at Bloomsbury Sigma, I came upon the idea of space volcanoes. As my publisher said: “What’s not to love? Space AND volcanoes”. So, this is exactly what my second book will be about and it’s working title is Fire & Ice.

Volcanoes are among the most familiar and perhaps the most terrifying of all geological phenomena. However, Earth isn’t the only planet to harbour volcanoes. In fact, the Solar System, and probably the entire Universe, is littered with them. Our own Moon, which is now a dormant piece of rock, had lava spewing onto its surface billions of years ago, while Mars can be credited with the largest volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons, which stands at 25km high. While Mars’s volcanoes are long dead, moons around Jupiter and Saturn experience active volcanism today.

You may question whether I’m ‘qualified’ to write about volcanoes. Well, although the most recent part of my scientific research career was focussed on space, namely comets and asteroids, my scientific focus prior to this was volcanoes. In fact, for my PhD I analysed rocks from volcanoes in the Arctic and Iceland. I even spent a few months during this time working as a volcanologist on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat. Major parts of Montserrat were destroyed by a large eruption in 1997, burying an entire town and displacing thousands of people. Since I first visited that volcano in 2003 I have been fascinated with learning more about it. It truly sparked (excuse the pun) my motivation to continue studying science to a higher level.

So, I definitely know a thing or two about Earth’s volcanoes, I just haven’t managed to visit any in space yet! But no fear, a fair few space missions have done so there’s plenty of information in the scientific literature for me to delve in to.

Volcanism is, quite simply, part of the effort a planet makes to cool itself down. However, the Solar System’s volcanoes vary tremendously; each planet has its own unique way of freshening up. This means that understanding what makes a volcano tick on Earth doesn’t necessarily tell us much about what makes those on other planets erupt.

We tend to think of volcanoes as disgorging hot, molten lava and emitting huge, billowing clouds of incandescent ash (this is, obviously, where the ‘Fire’ part of the book title comes from). While this is often the case on Earth, it certainly isn’t the same story across the rest of the Solar System. For a start, some volcanoes aren’t even particularly hot. Those on Pluto, for example, could be erupting methane, ammonia, water and carbon dioxide, substances that freeze to form mountain chains made of ice rather than rock (hence the ‘Ice’ part of the book title). Fascinatingly, the volcanoes of our Solar System can be some of the hottest and coldest places.

Volcanoes act to shape the surfaces of the celestial objects on which they exist. However, the beauty of volcanoes lies not just in admiring their dazzling eruptive pyrotechnics. Whether they are formed of fire or ice, volcanoes are of huge importance for scientists trying to picture the inner workings of a planet or moon. Volcanoes dredge up materials from the depths and helpfully deliver them to the surface. The way in which they erupt, and the products they generate, can even help scientists ponder bigger questions: Is there life elsewhere in the Solar System? A geologically active planet has the potential to host the right conditions to entertain life.

Fire and Ice will take the reader on an exploration of the Solar System’s volcanoes, from the highest peaks of Mars to the red-hot summits of Jupiter’s moon Io, to the coldest, seemingly dormant icy carapace of Pluto. It will look at how scientists explore these exotic cosmic features, and relate them to familiar volcanoes on Earth, discovering how these planetary bodies made their surfaces, and whether such active planetary systems might host life.

Fire & Ice will be out in late 2020, so I better get writing.