FROZEN: ICY WONDERS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM by Karen Anne Devoil 

On this journey we will encounter amazing landscapes, exotic ice forms and hear about some of the processes involved drawing on the latest research and hear about the space missions involved in exploring these icy bodies. Ices are found from the innermost planet -Mercury, right through to the icy far outer reaches of the solar system-the Oort Cloud, these ices encompass not only water ice but also many other ‘volatile’ species including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, methane, and nitrogen ice. Along the way, we will explore some key questions such as how different ices behave, what active processes are driven by ices and also consider their significance for Astrobiology and the search for life by exploring the potential habitability of some of these icy worlds.

Karen Anne joined the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck as the Marketing and Outreach Advisor.

Karen has been studying Astronomy and Planetary Science for several years, most recently at Birkbeck (Planetary Science) for 2 years and before that 2 years at UCL (Astronomy Certificate). She is also a Fellow of The Royal Astronomical Society and a registered STEM Ambassador.

Some of you may have already met Karen through her work with UCL’s Your Universe public outreach festival, where she has contributed for several years and run her own presentation stand (Is There Life on Mars) in 2020, as well as assisting Mark Fuller and Francisco Diego in promoting the event using her professional marketing skills. She has also taken part in many other outreach events, including International Asteroid Day 2021.

The meeting will also include a news item of interest and a tour of the night sky.

For those who cannot attend in person the meeting can be viewed on Zoom. Details will be emailed to members a few days before the meeting.

We look forward to seeing you.