Brighton Astro: The Aurora in 2025/26

The aurora, the dancing lights that illuminate up the night sky, is a wondrous sight. In this talk, we look at the science behind the aurora to understand why they have been so visible over Brighton over the last 18 months, and consider the outlook for 2026. We will also look beyond Earth at the aurora on other planets – both within our solar system and beyond!

Dr Darren Baskill is a lecturer and outreach officer in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Sussex, with over 25 years’ experience of both professional and amateur astronomy. He previously taught astronomy at the Royal Observatory Greenwich science centre and planetarium in London, where he initiated the highly successful Astronomy Photographer of the Year public competition and exhibition, and he was a calibration scientist for the European XMM-Newton space telescope at the University of Leicester before that, ensuring that the data delivered to astronomers around the world was of the highest quality.

Attendance is free, but we would be grateful if those of you who are able to could donate a few pounds to help cover the cost of hiring this event space. We will have a card reader and a money box you can drop your donations in on the night. We also have a bank account you can donate to electronically.

Please note that the venue has a bar.

Please only come along if you’ve signed up, as we’re limited on space so won’t be able to fit anyone else in.

If you can no longer attend, please update your status to say that you are no longer attending so that someone on the waiting list gets a place