Dr Sheila Kanani and Joanne Baker on The Starspotter's Guide and Starwatchers
What draws us to the night sky, and how do the stories we tell about the stars shape our understanding of ourselves?
Join two leading voices in astronomy for a captivating conversation about our eternal fascination with the cosmos. Dr Sheila Kanani MBE presents The Starspotter's Guide, while Joanne Baker discusses Starwatchers: A History of Discovery in the Night Sky.
Dr Sheila Kanani MBE, planetary physicist and Education, Outreach and Diversity officer for the Royal Astronomical Society, combines rigorous science with accessible storytelling. Joanne Baker, former astrophysicist and editor for Nature magazine, brings a unique synthesis of scientific expertise and cultural insight, having been a NASA Hubble Fellow and Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard.
Interviewed by the host of the Beautiful Universe podcast, Jo Durrant, together they'll explore how ancient observations connect to modern discoveries, why we project meaning onto the skies, and what happens when you could jump on a spacecraft to explore galaxies yourself. From Mesopotamian moon worship to H.G. Wells's science fiction and the discovery of black holes, this conversation bridges the gap between scientific discovery and human wonder.

The ‘stream and book’ package includes a unique ticket for the stream, and a copy of The Starspotter's Guide (RRP £18.99) deliverable to any UK address.
The event will initially be broadcast on 27 October at 6.30pm UK time. It will be available to view up to two weeks after the event has ended and can be accessed Worldwide. If you live in a time zone that does not suit the initial broadcast time you can watch it at any point after the initial showing for two weeks.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].