Aurora expedition sparks new children’s book

University of Southampton astronomer Dr Sadie Jones has taken inspiration from her expedition to Norway with the university’s Space Environment Physics group to write her first children’s fiction book.

Dr Jones, Astronomy Public Engagement Leader at the university, has spent six years delivering aurora-themed outreach and public engagement activities in local schools and at public events.

In January 2020, she joined an expedition to Svalbard, Norway, to launch the Aurora Zoo citizen science project. The project has seen more than 17,500 volunteers log on to its website to analyse and classify images of the aurora captured by a camera system in the Arctic, helping scientists to learn more about the fascinating aurora phenomenon.

It was during this expedition in 2020 – when Dr Jones witnessed the aurora for the first time and also encountered a polar bear in its natural habitat – that she was inspired to pen a children’s story.

Her first book, Seren and the Polar Bear Cub , is aimed at children aged 10 and above and will be launched at the University of Southampton Arts and Humanities Day on Saturday 9 November.

Dr Jones said: “I’ve always wanted to write a children’s fiction book that highlights the amazing astronomy and space research we do at the University of Southampton. Svalbard was such a weird and magical place, I felt so lucky that I got to experience the life of a scientist working at the extremes, it really set off my imagination.”

Seren and the Polar Bear Cub tells the story of a young girl who discovers the magic of the aurora from her home in the UK and then embarks on an extraordinary journey to Svalbard.

Dr Jones will be giving away the first 750 copies of Seren and the Polar Bear Cub at Saturday’s Arts and Humanities Day , taking place in Southampton’s Cultural Quarter She is currently seeking a publisher to bring the book to shops.

The family event on Saturday – which is free, but tickets must be pre-booked – forms part of this year’s Arts and Humanities Festival , which runs until 16 November.