Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What's the difference between wonder and awe — and why does it matter? Engineer and broadcaster Lucy Rogers MBE takes us on a spectacular journey through the science of everything above our heads: from monarch butterflies navigating 3,000 miles without GPS, to a Victorian experiment still explaining the colour of the sky, to the 4.6-billion-year odyssey of a comet that has outlasted every empire in history.
Filmed at the Royal Institution on 20 April 2026, this talk pairs live demonstrations — including John Tyndall's original 1869 light-scattering experiment, a fire syringe meteor demonstration, a chemical flame test, and a very loud hydrogen balloon explosion — with Lucy's own field adventures tagging butterflies in Kansas and stormchasing across the United States.
Whether you're drawn by the experiments, the adventure stories, or simply the invitation to look up more often, this talk will change how you see the sky above you.
📖 Get Lucy's book — Up: A Scientist's Guide to the Magic Above Us:
geni.us/kjGgcLZ
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The Ri is a charity. Support us by becoming a member and unlock exclusive Q&A content from our speakers: youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
Subscribe for regular science videos: bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction – Wonder, Awe, and the Power of Surprise
3:09 Monarch Butterflies: A 3,000-Mile Migration
7:25 Tracking Butterflies with Solar Bluetooth Technology
12:21 Why Hot Air Rises: Live Demonstrations
16:38 The First Balloons – Hot Air, Hydrogen, and a Big Bang
26:37 Why Is the Sky Blue? Recreating Tyndall's 1869 Experiment
34:13 Meteors and the Flame Test: What Are Shooting Stars Made Of?
40:20 Satellites, Space Debris, and the Crowded Sky
43:04 The Story of Halley's Comet
51:37 A Final Invitation: Look Up
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Lucy Rogers MBE is an award-winning engineer, inventor, and science communicator. She is Visiting Professor of Engineering: Creativity and Communication at Brunel University London. Her career spans designing animatronic dinosaurs, developing space-debris-mitigation technologies, and judging BBC's Robot Wars. Honoured with an MBE in 2024 for services to engineering, she has captivated global audiences of all ages at conferences and science festivals worldwide.
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and Facebook: facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast
Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri
Our editorial policy: rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: bit.ly/RiNewsletter
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#RoyalInstitution #LucyRogers #LookUp #SkyScience #MonarchButterflies #HalleysComet #WhyIsTheSkyBlue #Physics #Astronomy #ScienceExperiments #AtmosphericScience #SpaceDebris #STEM #ScienceCommunication #NaturalWonders
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Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
What's the difference between wonder and awe — and why does it matter? Engineer and broadcaster Lucy Rogers MBE takes us on a spectacular journey through the science of everything above our heads: from monarch butterflies navigating 3,000 miles without GPS, to a Victorian experiment still explaining the colour of the sky, to the 4.6-billion-year odyssey of a comet that has outlasted every empire in history.
Filmed at the Royal Institution on 20 April 2026, this talk pairs live demonstrations — including John Tyndall's original 1869 light-scattering experiment, a fire syringe meteor demonstration, a chemical flame test, and a very loud hydrogen balloon explosion — with Lucy's own field adventures tagging butterflies in Kansas and stormchasing across the United States.
Whether you're drawn by the experiments, the adventure stories, or simply the invitation to look up more often, this talk will change how you see the sky above you.
📖 Get Lucy's book — Up: A Scientist's Guide to the Magic Above Us:
geni.us/kjGgcLZ
___
The Ri is a charity. Support us by becoming a member and unlock exclusive Q&A content from our speakers: youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
Subscribe for regular science videos: bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
___
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction – Wonder, Awe, and the Power of Surprise
3:09 Monarch Butterflies: A 3,000-Mile Migration
7:25 Tracking Butterflies with Solar Bluetooth Technology
12:21 Why Hot Air Rises: Live Demonstrations
16:38 The First Balloons – Hot Air, Hydrogen, and a Big Bang
26:37 Why Is the Sky Blue? Recreating Tyndall's 1869 Experiment
34:13 Meteors and the Flame Test: What Are Shooting Stars Made Of?
40:20 Satellites, Space Debris, and the Crowded Sky
43:04 The Story of Halley's Comet
51:37 A Final Invitation: Look Up
___
Lucy Rogers MBE is an award-winning engineer, inventor, and science communicator. She is Visiting Professor of Engineering: Creativity and Communication at Brunel University London. Her career spans designing animatronic dinosaurs, developing space-debris-mitigation technologies, and judging BBC's Robot Wars. Honoured with an MBE in 2024 for services to engineering, she has captivated global audiences of all ages at conferences and science festivals worldwide.
___
The Ri is on Twitter: twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast
Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri
Our editorial policy: rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: bit.ly/RiNewsletter
____
#RoyalInstitution #LucyRogers #LookUp #SkyScience #MonarchButterflies #HalleysComet #WhyIsTheSkyBlue #Physics #Astronomy #ScienceExperiments #AtmosphericScience #SpaceDebris #STEM #ScienceCommunication #NaturalWonders
____
Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
