Under the stars

When I was six my Dad and I went out into the cold of the night, our breath gathering into clouds like freezing dragons and we looked up to the skies. Our target was Halley’s Comet, a rare and sparkling cosmic visitor that is seen from earth only once every 76 years. We couldn’t see the faint comet, but I remember in this moment being fascinated by the stars. That began a lifelong love-affair with astronomy, which has brought me a wonderful and fulfilling career.

The simple experience of sharing a moment like this with a child just goes to show how important it is to open their eyes to a bigger world – or even a universe – and how this can transform their life. I wrote my ‘Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime’ to evoke those same feelings amongst the children of today. The beautiful illustrations in the book compliment the 46 factual stories about our sky and our amazing universe, combining to evoke a sense of adventure and exploration. From a place of calm and safety, girls and boys are encouraged to explore the planets, stars and galaxies and exercise their insatiable curiosity to ask ‘why?’.