Lucie is a Professor of Physics based at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL’s Department of Space and Climate Physics and studies activity in the atmosphere of our nearest star, the Sun.

In particular, Lucie looks at immense magnetic fields in the Sun’s atmosphere which sporadically erupt into the Solar System. If these eruptions reach theEarth they can drive major space weather events. She is interested in how the magnetic configuration of the eruptions relates to geomagnetic activity and what this means for those living in the UK.

A universe of stars

We live in an incredible part of the Universe. In close proximity to a star that is alive with activity, and which we have realised in recent decades is both our friend and our foe. The Sun gives us warmth and light, but also sends dangerous clouds of material in our direction. Our star is just one of hundreds of billions in our galaxy alone, each with their own individual character. This talk will look at how exciting international space missions have revealed the true nature of our Sun – that is normally hidden in plain sight behind the Sun’s glare – and also how we use our knowledge of the Sun to build a bigger understanding of stars across the Universe.