Scientists scale cathedral roofs to understand cosmic dust

As they clamber up cathedral walls wearing vacuum cleaner backpacks, the researchers look more like ghostbusters than planetary scientists

- Ian Sample

But rather than scooping up spirits, the team from the University of Kent is collecting cosmic dust which lands on the roofs of Canterbury Cathedral after falling to Earth from space.

Cathedral roofs are good hunting grounds because of their size and inaccessibility. "You want the site as undisturbed as possible," said Dr Penny Wozniakiewicz. "The dust is coming in everywhere, but the rooftops offer an opportunity to collect the dust and not have people trampling all over it."