A planetary scientist whose research revealed the possibility of extraterrestrial life on one of Saturn\u2019s moons has been made the first female astronomer royal.<\/p>\n
Prof Michele Dougherty, a leading space physicist who was a researcher for the Nasa Cassini mission<\/a>, has been awarded the 350-year-old honorary title.<\/p>\n As an investigator on two major space missions, Dougherty has played a role in major discoveries in the solar system, including the revelation that jets of water vapour shoot out of one of Saturn\u2019s moons, Enceladus, meaning it may be able to support life.<\/p>\n Dougherty said she was \u201cabsolutely delighted\u201d with her appointment. She added: \u201cAs a young child I never thought I\u2019d end up working on planetary spacecraft missions and science, so I can\u2019t quite believe I\u2019m actually taking on this position. In this role I look forward to engaging the general public in how exciting astronomy is, and how important it and its outcomes are to our everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n The role of astronomer royal was created in 1675, with the aim of discovering how to determine longitude at sea when out of sight of land. The outgoing astronomer royal, Martin Rees, is retiring from the role.<\/p>\n Dougherty told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today programme on Wednesday: \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to make sure that if I\u2019m ever selected for a role, it\u2019s because of what I do, and not because I\u2019m female. Particularly for young girls, seeing someone who looks like them in a role like this will potentially allow them to dream that they might be able to do something like this in the future. So if it makes just a few people think: \u2018Oh maybe I can do something that looks a bit scary,\u2019 then I would have achieved one of the things I\u2019d like to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n She will hold the role alongside her current positions as executive chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, president-elect of the Institute of Physics<\/a> and as a professor of space physics at Imperial College London.<\/p>\n She said she feared for the future of science funding. \u201cThings are unsettled right now across the world on a range of fronts. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important that in the UK we are very open about why we do the research we do and why it is so important to the health and wellbeing of the UK economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Her main role will be to \u201ctalk to people about the science we do and how it can impact people\u201d She said she wanted to \u201centhuse and excite people\u201d.<\/p>\n Dougherty, 62, was born in South Africa and has English and Irish heritage. When she was about 10 years old, her father built a telescope, and Dougherty and her sister helped mix the concrete for its base. \u201cMy first view of Jupiter and its four large moons and Saturn and its rings was through my dad\u2019s telescope,\u201d she told Today.<\/p>\n Her expertise lies in designing and operating instruments to measure the magnetic field in space on Nasa and European Space<\/a> Agency (Esa) probes.<\/p>\n She noticed a \u201ctiny anomaly\u201d in the Cassini spacecraft\u2019s measurement of the magnetic field as the probe flew by Enceladus in 2005, suggesting the moon might have an unexpected atmosphere. She convinced Nasa chiefs to send Cassini back for a closer look.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n