Lisa Harvey-Smith is an award-winning astronomer and Professor at the University of New South Wales. In 2018 she was appointed as the Australian Government’s Ambassador for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). She is the author of When Galaxies Collide and best-selling children’s book Under the Stars, both published by Melbourne University Press. Lisa is also a regular on national tv/radio/media, and has appeared in several TV series and documentaries as a guest scientist and is a presenter alongside Prof. Brian Cox on ABC TV’s Stargazing Live.
Today, Lisa is on the blog to answer a few of our questions about her brand new book, The Secret Life of Stars: Astrophysics for Everyone, ahead of its release next week. Read on!
Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith
Tell us about your book, The Secret Life of Stars!
LHS: The Secret Life of Stars is a popular science book for people who don’t usually read science. Its fun, engaging (and sometimes scandalous) narrative explores the secret lives of stars across our galaxy. We meet runaway stars, exploding stars, stars that eat each other and stars that might soon eat everything, including light (they’re black holes, by the way). Beautifully illustrated by Eirian Chapman, The Secret Life of Stars is an astrophysics book for everyone.
What inspired you to write this book?
LHS: I was signing copies of my first book (When Galaxies Collide) at an event and it struck me how many women were buying the book for their husbands. When I asked an older woman whether she might read the book herself, she said “oh, I’m no good at science”. Sadly, many women have been discouraged from pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects by stereotypes about who belongs in those domains. So by writing a ‘standard’ popular astronomy book, I realised that I had inadvertently signalled to the audience that this was ‘a book for men’.
After realising this, I made a conscious effort to make my books demonstrably designed for everyone. My second book, Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime was full of gorgeous illustrations (by Mel Matthews) showing children of many cultural backgrounds and their wombat friends enjoying the night sky together. The book was popular worldwide.
Writing The Secret Life of Stars, I had a woman reader in mind. I wanted to describe the science through the personalities of the stars, explain their lives and loves with colour and illustration, to show that astrophysics has another side to it from the stereotypes shown in (TV show) The Big Bang Theory. I’ve already received lovely messages from readers who say that this is the first science book they’ve ever picked up — and they love it!
Where did your passion for astrophysics come from?
LHS: I fell in love with the night sky when I was 12. I saw Mars with my Dad and it was love at first sight. After devouring about 50 astronomy books and joining my local astronomical society, I discovered that there were people paid to do astronomy as their job. So I got my head down, studied astrophysics at uni and earned a Masters and a PhD. Fifteen years on, I’ve published 50 research papers and published three books about the subject. I’m still in love.
Why do you think that it’s so important for us to know more about the stars and astrophysics in general?
LHS: Astrophysics is all about the big questions; where we come from and where we are going. For most people though, it’s mostly about getting out there at night and gazing up at the stars, planets and engaging with something bigger than ourselves.
The Secret Life of Stars takes us through the various kinds of stars that can be found in the solar system. Can you tell us your favourite little-known fact about stars?
LHS: Some stars go through a bit of a mid-life crisis called a ‘helium flash’. It’s basically like a flambé, where a chef pours alcohol into a hot pan to create a delicious pancake sauce. The star, which has been steadily burning hydrogen for billions of years, suddenly ignites a shell of helium in its core. WHOOSH! A helium flash.
You’ve just been re-appointed as the Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador – congratulations! Can you please tell us a little bit about the role, what you do and why it’s so important to you?
LHS: Thank you! The Women in STEM Ambassador is an Australian Government initiative to increase the participation of women and girls in STEM education and careers. My team and I provide advice to government, conduct research, deliver professional development for teachers & early childhood educators, deliver awareness campaigns and provide resources that drive cultural and systemic change. You can learn more here.
It’s fantastic to have received funding from the Commonwealth for another two years, which will enable us to consolidate the work we have begun and measure our national impact in a meaningful way.
What do you think are the biggest obstacles to getting more women, particularly young women, interested in STEM?
LHS: Getting young women interested in STEM is easy. All children are curious about the world and girls are just as skilled in STEM as boys. The problem is that children are constantly bombarded with stereotypes about gendered colours, activities, clothes, interests and behaviours. These stereotypes are delivered in books, entertainment, and by parents, teachers and even school curricula (in the officially sanctioned NSW year 11 science curriculum, students study 80 men and 2 women).
This indoctrination works and by the age of six girls’ confidence and interest in pursuing STEM as a career has plummeted because they believe it’s ‘not for girls’. My books, and my work as Australia’s Women in STEM Ambassador aim to counter these stereotypes. Everyone; parents, teachers, writers, illustrators and TV producers need to play their part.
Where do you think the field of astrophysics will go in the future?
LHS: The next generation of telescopes, like the Square Kilometre Array (which I have had a lot to do with in my career) will enable us to see further, more clearly and give us clues about the 14 billion year history of the cosmos. They will enable us to study the hidden components of our universe, like dark matter and dark energy and even peer into the atmospheres of planets in other solar system to search for signs of life. It’s a remarkable adventure.
What do you hope readers will discover in The Secret Life of Stars?
LHS: I want readers to discover that astronomy is for them! Where else can you learn why the Sun is a woman, why stars eat each other and how cosmic butterflies are made?
And finally, what’s up next for you?
LHS: I’m very excited to be working on my next children’s book with Thames and Hudson at the moment. I’ll be busily signing copies of The Secret Life of Stars and writing personalised messages for all the new astrophysics converts out there.
In the Office of the Women in STEM Ambassador, we’re launching an exciting campaign this month to smash stereotypes about STEM careers. The future is bright.
Thanks Lisa!
—The Secret Life of Stars: Astrophysics for Everyone by Lisa Harvey-Smith (Thames & Hudson Australia) is out on the 29th of September.
This book is part of Booktoberfest, the festival of new books!
The Secret Life of Stars
Limited Signed Copies Available!
We all know the Sun, the powerhouse of our solar system, but what about Luyten's Flare, the Rosino-Zwicky Object or Chanal's variable star? For those whose curiosity takes them far beyond Earth's atmosphere, The Secret Life of Stars offers a personal and readily understood introduction to some of the Galaxy's most remarkable stars.
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