We were thrilled to have Meganne Christian @astromeganne.bsky.social speak on behalf of the @ukspaceagency.bsky.social at the recent UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting that we hosted at Birkbeck in January! 🤩 👩‍🚀 👩‍🔬 🚀

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science!

The UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting 2026.

The UKPF committee includes, from left to right, Stephanie Halwa, Mark Fox-Powell, Ben Attwood, Peter Fawdon, Karen-Anne Devoil, and Huma Irfan.

The UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting 2026 – supported by the RAS and the UK Space Agency – took place at the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck earlier this month.

Its purpose was for networking and to showcase the planetary science research going on in UK universities 🪐🌎 💫

Professor Sara Russell in silhouette against her slides showing a gloved hand holding a sample of the Bennu asteroid being analysed by the Natural History Museum in London.

Professor Emma Bunce delivers her Keynote talk on Exploring Ocean Worlds at the UKPF ECM 2026 standing on the right of the lecture screen showing her title slides which also shows Jupiter, some of its moons and the ESA JUICE satellite.

Inspiring Keynote speakers Professor Sara Russell @nhm-london.bsky.social: ‘To Bennu and Back, and the future of sample return’, and Professor Emma Bunce @uniofleicester.bsky.social : ‘Exploring Ocean Worlds’ at the UKPF Early Careers Meeting 2026 today! 🤩 ☄️🚀🌊🪐

UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting 2026 welcome slide

We are delighted to be hosting this year’s UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting today at Birkbeck in London! We have an amazing turnout of UK planetary ECRs despite Storm Gerotti!

Huge thanks to @ukspaceagency.bsky.social & @royalastrosoc.bsky.social for funding which made today possible 🌟🚀🔭

The convenors of the meeting included Karen Anne Devoil (University College London), Mark Nottingham (University of Glasgow), Steven Banham (Imperial College London), Peter Fawdon (Open University), Stephanie Halwa (University of Manchester) and Mark Fox-Powell (Open University).

Last week we attended 'The Impact of UK Planetary Geoscience' conference at the @geolsoc.bsky.social. 🌍🪐

There were some amazing talks and discussions about the future of planetary science, while our deputy executive director Dr Robert Massey gave an update on RAS activity and membership. 🔭 ☄️🚀

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And here is the sample return missions SDM...

🚨Event alert🚨

Have you registered your attendance for 'The Impact of UK Planetary Geoscience' conference at the Geological Society of London?

📅 27 Nov
🎟️ Reduced rates for @royalastrosoc.bsky.social Fellows
📝 Registration closes 26 Nov
ℹ️ geolsoc.org.uk/events/the-impact-of-uk-planetary-geoscience

Read a report of the recent Wonders of The Dark Sky Stargazing event held at @woodoaksfarm.bsky.social
Many thanks to all the astronomers, organisers, volunteers & everyone who made this event possible
📷 Sue Lacey
@chilternsnl.bsky.social @WestLondonAstro
www.colnevalleypark.org.uk/wonders-of-t...

UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting 2026 - Registration open! The 19th UKPF Early Careers Meeting will take place on Friday 9th January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck. Registration is now open. Abstract deadline: 31st October.

Registration and abstract submission open! Calling all UK-based Early-Career Planetary Scientists 🪐 🌒 ☄️ 🚀

Please join us for the 19th UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting on 9th January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, in London.

www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical...

What a wonderful evening Stargazing at the Wonders of the Dark Sky event at @Woodoaksfarm@bsky.social. Clear skies and amazing volunteer astronomers. Thanks to WOLAS, SWHAS, Chiltern Society, Woodoaks and Colne Valley Park.

Advert for the 19th UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting on an ombre blue background with black-fine line ink graphics of solar system planets and satellites across the top, text below that with the meeting title and then saying: Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, London; and below that: Friday 9th January 2026. The logos of the CPS show on the left and the UKPF on the right.

🗓️ Save the date! Calling all UK-based early-career planetary scientists 🪐 🌒 ☄️ 🚀 The UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting will be held on 9 January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, in London. Registration opening in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Professor Michele Dougherty.

The Royal Astronomical Society is pleased to congratulate Professor Michele Dougherty on her appointment as the first female Astronomer Royal. 🔭💫🪐

Read more at: ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...

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We are delighted to announce that the UK Planetary Forum is now officially affiliated with the Royal Astronomical Society.

The UKPF was first founded in 1996 as a representative body for the UK planetary science community with the primary aim to promote planetary research in the UK.

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A successful CPS Summer Meeting 2025! Really enjoyable annual get-together of all these wonderful planetary scientists at UCL and Birkbeck 🤩 🌔🪐☄️🚀🛰️

Congratulations to CPS colleagues Steve Miller and Karen Anne Devoil @karenannedevoil.bsky.social on their recent RAS elections to Vice President (G) and Councillor (G) respectively! 🌟👏👏

We’re thrilled to announce our exhibition, Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth?, opening 16 May 2025. 🚀

Rooted in the latest cutting-edge scientific research from the Museum, the exhibition will uncover evidence that life could exist beyond our planet.

Professor Steve Miller, of UCL, was also elected as a vice president (G) and the University of Sheffield's Professor Paul Crowther as a vice president (A).

Karen Anne Devoil (G), Dr Cyrielle Opitom (A), Dr Mike Peel (A) and Professor Andrew Curtis (G) were elected as councillors.

Light-grey half globe of icy moon Enceladus, criss-crossed with aqua blue lines and cracks, with a few scattered small craters, sat centrally on a dark starry backdrop with wisps of blue nebulae. The logos for the Centre for Planetary Sciences and the APEX seminar series are shown in the left and right corners respectively, and toward the top-centre, above the moon, the title APEX and subtitle underneath Astrobiology and Planetary Exploration Seminar Series.

APEX this week: We are delighted to welcome Dr Sebastiaan Krijt @exeter.ac.uk to talk about his research on 'Planet formation with ALMA & JWST: Signatures of past and ongoing pebble migration in protoplanetary discs' 📡 🛰️ Fri 21st March, 1pm

YOUR UNIVERSE: Astrobiology - The hunt for alien life on Mars and beyond… Public Talk with Q&A, by Lewis Dartnell

Including another fabulous Mars Week event!

'Astrobiology - The hunt for alien life on Mars and beyond' A public lecture by research scientist, presenter & author, Prof Lewis Dartnell @lewisdartnell.bsky.social

Fri 7th March, 6:15pm at UCL

🎟️ your-universe2025-ucl-fri-astrobiology.eventbrite.co.uk

Join us next Sat 8th March from 6pm at UCL to hear from our experts about Missions to Mars: current and future exploration of the Red Planet! A FREE public outreach event with talks + panel Q&A 🚀 🔴 🛰️ 🪐 ✨ #MarsWeek

Book your tickets at: mars-missions-ucl-cps.eventbrite.co.uk

Photo of History of Science Museum in Oxford, UK with a bike to the right and pretty white clouds and early morning light above the building.

UKPF Early Career meeting sign in grounds of Oxford Physics

Inside of lecture theatre showing UKPF ECM title slide on screens

UKPF logo with cartoon image of Earth, Mars and the Moon sitting within white amphitheatre.

Excited to be at the UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting today (UKPF ECM) @ox.ac.uk! 🪐 ☄️ 🛰️

In preparation for us hosting in 2026! 😊