Flamsteed Lecture: Unveiling the secrets of star and planetary system formation

At first glance, the stars in our skies may offer a comforting familiarity night after night: a consistent backdrop to our busy lives. But zoom in far enough and you’ll see that these balls of burning gas are not immortal and static. 

With world-leading arrays of optical telescopes such as the Very Large Telescope Interferometer in Chile and the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy in the USA, astronomers can now achieve the resolutions required to build a picture of the highly dynamic environments where stars and their planetary systems are born.

Join Dr Claire Davies as she takes you on a whistle-stop tour through life as a protostar – condensing millions of years into less than an hour – and shows you some of the weird and wonderful planetary systems that have been uncovered.

Meet the speaker

Dr Claire Davies is a Senior Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy and Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Exeter. She obtained a PhD in Astronomy from the University of St Andrews in 2015 and has a research background in high angular resolution observational studies of star formation.

Claire is an outspoken advocate for supporting underrepresented groups into science through outreach and equality, diversity and inclusion work. She founded and leads the PRISM Exeter network and has worked with the BBC on The Sky At Night Question Time Special 2023, and with Disney Pixar on science and discovery centre exhibitions to mark the release of the 2022 film Lightyear.

Please note that doors will open at 6.30pm, ready for the event to start at 7.15pm.

Image Credit: NGC 3372: Eta Carinae Nebula © Marcelo Fernandes – shortlisted in ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025