The Grand Tour of Ice Giant Aurorae
Professor Tom Stallard
Thu 8 January at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm GMT
£3.00 – £6.00 Astronomy
Hybrid Event
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When the Voyager II spacecraft flew past Uranus and Neptune in 1986 and 1989, respectively, it revealed a strange new type of world, somewhere between the Gas Giants of Jupiter and Saturn, and rocky terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars. But, since Voyager, these planets have been hidden from view.
The James Webb Space Telescope has changed all that – this incredible telescope can show brilliant views of both the aurora and the entire surrounding upper atmosphere, laying out not only aurorae but also the magnetic fields across the planet. In November 2025 and January 2026, we are undertaking a Grand Tour of Neptune then Uranus. It is the largest JWST planetary observation ever made: we will be revealing the latest images and talking about what we’ve discovered so far.
Professor Tom Stallard is a Professor of Astrophysics at Northumbria University, UK. He is a leading planetary astronomer in the UK, who currently has the largest number of JWST hours of any planetary astronomer in the world. In 2019, he was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Chapman medal for his research into planetary aurora. He has shared his astronomy with the wider public in a range of ways, including RAS ‘live from the observatory’ events. He was presented with the title ‘Hoku Kolea’ by the Mauna Kea observatories for his work in public engagement.
Please note that the speaker will not be in the room but his talk will be streamed live onto the large screen at Queen Square. You can watch the talk on the screen at Queen Square or buy a Watch Online ticket to watch elsewhere.
