The influence of the star-forming environment on planetary systems

Guest Speaker

Thursday, 24th July 2025 (19:45 - 22:00)

Venue: Hybrid

 Is the Sun special?

Are we alone in space? Is there something special about our Sun and the Solar System, or could life develop on other planetary systems? In this talk, I will discuss the evidence for and against the Sun being an unusual star, and whether our planetary system is different to the thousands of planets orbiting other stars.

Join online if you can't meet us at the meeting room HERE

Speaker: Dr. Richard Parker

Richard Parker was born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, he did his undergraduate degree at Sheffield University, which included a year on La Palma at the Isaac Newton Telescopes as a student support astronomer. He returned to Sheffield to complete a PhD, before a post-doctoral research position at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Richard then returned to the UK for a Royal Astronomical Society Fellowship at Liverpool John Moores University, and since 2017 he has been a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellow and lecturer at Sheffield.