A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Solar System | Weds 18th October, with Dr Stuart Eves

On Wednesday 18th October PubSci is delighted to welcome Astrophysicist and Satellite engineer, Dr Stuart Eves, to take us on a guided tour through the wonders of the Solar System.

The eight planets and their moons (Sizes are to scale, interplanetary distances aren’t!). Courtesy of CactiStaccingCrane.

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If you thought Earth was the only body in our solar system worth visiting, think again!

Join Stuart Eves for an interplanetary travellers’ guide to some of the most fascinating, beautiful, and compelling sights any tourist could wish to see in the vicinity of our star.

Jupiter’s Moon Io (NASA/JPL/UoArizona)

From the first Soviet lunar probe, Luna 1, through NASA’s Mariner and Voyager missions, to the international James Webb Space Telescope, humans have been imaging the planetary bodies of our solar system and their moons in ever-increasing detail.

But if you could hitch a ride on this space hardware, what would you see?

Instead of the barren bodies we once supposed, objects in our solar system have revealed themselves to possess stunning features reminiscent of those that make our home planet so beautiful and awe inspiring, only far, far larger: volcanoes, dust devils, geysers, liquid and frozen oceans, unexpected seasonal features… perhaps evidence of life too.

Even little Pluto turns out to be more interesting than anybody thought possible.

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Join us upstairs at the Old King’s Head, near London Bridge station. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. The Old King’s Head has a happy hour before 7pm, and the kitchen serves excellent pub grub.

We use Eventbrite ticketing. Reserve your place now! PubSci is free to attend but please consider making a donation with your reservation to help cover costs.

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Dr Stuart Eves

Dr Stuart Eves has an MSc in Astrophysics and a PhD in satellite constellation design. He has more than 30 years of experience in satellite systems and is a Fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society. In 2018 he founded his own space consultancy, SJE Space Ltd, following 16 years with the MoD and 14 years with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited.

His 2017 book “Space Traffic Control” is the standard text on protecting satellites from natural hazards and man-made threats. He serves on the Advisory Panel for the ESA Space Safety Programme, and is a founder of the GNOSIS network on sustainability in space.

Stuart is passionate about sharing his love of space. He “moonlights” as a GCSE Astronomy teacher and speaks to adults at U3A and Café Scientifique. His outreach work has been rewarded with the Arthur Clarke Award and his satellite technology has been displayed in the Science Museum. He has spoken at the Royal Institution on numerous occasions.

Don’t miss the chance to join Stuart at PubSci this October for a tour through some of the most beautiful, fascinating, and intriguing features of our own Solar System.

The Solar System (Credit: ESA)

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Please support PubSci.

There is no charge for attending PubSci talks, but we have a whip-round to cover expenses. Because so few of us carry cash these days, you can contribute digitally too  by putting a few quid in the virtual whip-round. Please help PubSci continue to put on events.

We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, although it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the function room of  a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access. 

Please check our Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our iCal feed.  You can find all our links on our LinkTree.

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We used to meet on the first Wednesday of the month but PubSci is now on the third Wednesday.

Address:

The Old King’s Head (upstairs room)
King’s Head Yard
45-49 Borough High Street
London SE1 1NA