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Meet The Team
- James Claxton
James Claxton
Science Communication
"There is a wide, yawning black infinity. In every direction, the extension is endless; the sensation of depth is overwhelming, and the darkness is immortal. Where light exists, it is pure, blazing, fierce; but light exists almost nowhere, and the blackness itself is also pure and blazing and fierce" - Carl Sagan
My love for astronomy began in the late 1990’s with two captivating celestial events – Comet Hale Bopp discovered in 1995 and visible to the naked eye in 1997, a new object in the night sky that sparked my interest for what else could be out there.
Secondly the total solar eclipse of 1999 which I was lucky enough to see in all its glory from Cornwall – a stark reminder that we are all flying through space on a ball of rock!
I began volunteering at Kielder Observatory in January 2023 and in early 2024 I was lucky enough to attain full time employment in a role that is truly out of this world. Now I get to geek out with colleagues and guests talking about the wonders in space humanity has so far discovered, as well as ruminate on the mysteries we are yet to unravel. Doing all of this under some of the finest skies the UK has to offer is truly a dream come true.
- Favourite astronomical interest: Exoplanets and the search for life elsewhere in the universe.
- Favourite astronomer: Carl Sagan
- Favourite movies: Contact / Interstellar
- Ideal holiday: The Moon or Mars!
