This is The Guardian.

In just a few days' time, the northern hemisphere will be marking the winter solstice.

And as the nights draw in early, it's a perfect opportunity to do some stargazing.

Assuming here in the UK, of course, it's not raining.

Reflecting on the vastness of space and time can be a lovely way to forget earthly troubles

and wonder, is their life out there looking up at us too?

It's one of the many questions space scientist Dame Maggie Adirin Pocock

will be exploring as she takes to the stage for this year's Royal Institution Christmas lectures.

So today I'm speaking to science correspondent Nicola Davis,

who caught up with Dame Maggie ahead of her lectures,

chatting about everything from what the James Webb Space Telescope has taught us so far

to whether there could be life beyond Earth,

and Maggie's excitement for human space travel.

From The Guardian, I'm Madeleine Finley, and this is Science Weekly.

Thanks for joining me, Nicola, for our annual tradition, chatting about the Royal Institution

Christmas lectures. And this year is a very special one because it's their 200th anniversary.

And to market, Dame Maggie Adairn-Pocock is giving three lectures exploring the question, are we alone in the

universe? Now, Maggie is a space scientist and she's a wonderful space educator. But for those that

don't know her, tell me a bit more about her. First of all, Maddie, I have to say I'm disappointed.

For the listeners, we don't have any mince pies in the studio, and I think this is

a travesty. But we do have chat about the Christmas lectures. So yeah, Dame Maggie, she's a fantastic

scientist. I've interviewed her several times over the years, actually. And I love that she works

...