It’s rare for the Amersham Society to have a talk on a scientific theme but when local scientist and traveller Dr Melanie Windridge spoke about Aurora – In Search of the Northern Lights she held a packed audience spell-bound, writes Peter BorrowsĪs a plasma physicist, with a PhD from Imperial College, she was secure in her science but it was dropped in a bit at a time, not to overwhelm the non-scientists present (most of the audience). Windridge and her passion for travelling under extreme conditions in the Peter Borrows’ report on her previous talk “Aurora – In Search of the Northern Lights” which she gave at the Society meeting on :ĪURORA – IN SEARCH OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS In the talk “Summiting the Science of Everest” she will tell us the story of her own summit attempt in 2018. Melanie Windridge, physicist, writer, lecturer and mountaineer. Melanie loves the mountains and believes science and exploration go hand in hand.On 25 Sep we will welcome back Dr. She has a PhD in fusion energy and is Business Development Manager for fusion start-up Tokamak Energy, as well as working in education with the Ogden Trust, Anturus and Your Life.

‘Her enthusiasm for all things aurora is, ultimately, infectious and there will be something of interest here for anyone with even a passing curiosity in this remarkable natural phenomenon’ The Times Literary Supplementĭr Melanie Windridge is a plasma physicist, lecturer and writer with a taste for adventure. ‘Her greatest strength is her ability to illuminate science for the lay person.’ Literary Review ‘Spell-binding … a brilliant blend of auroral science, polar exploration, Sami heritage and folklore … full of wonders.’ The Simple Things

She combines the science behind the lights with a fascinating travelogue as she pursues the aurora across the northern hemisphere – from the Arctic Circle to Scotland. Plasma physicist Melanie Windridge explains this extraordinary and evocative phenomenon, a scientific marvel unlike any other in which the powers of astronomy, geology, magnetism and atomic physics combine to create one of the wonders of the natural world.Īs Melanie travels in search of the perfect aurora, she uncovers the scientific realities of this plasmic phenomenon full of natural power. The ancient stories of the Sami people warn that if you mock the lights they will seize you, and their mythical appeal continues to capture the hearts and imagination of people across the globe.Īurora explores the visual beauty, ancient myths and science of the northern lights and challenges the popular theory of how the lights are formed. The beautiful aurorae, or northern lights, are the stuff of legends.

Aurora by Melanie Windridge