A STELLAR RISE

She discovered the potential for alien life on Saturn's moon -.now SA-born planetary scientist Michele Dougherty has been handpicked by King Charles to be his Astronomer Royal

- COMPILED BY JANICE BECKETT-MSIZA

AS A little girl she'd stand in her garden in Durban gazing in wonder at the night sky. That was when Professor Michele Dougherty caught her first glimpse of Jupiter's moons and Saturn's rings - and her love of astronomy took hold.

But never in a million years would she have dreamt that as an adult she'd play a key role in some of the major discoveries in the solar system, including finding the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Or that one day King Charles would choose her to be his Astronomer Royal, making her the first woman to fill this high-profile position since its creation 350 years ago.

"I'm having to pinch myself at the thought of it," says Michele (63), who was handpicked by the British monarch to take over from Professor Lord Martin Rees (83), who is retiring. "As a young child I never thought I'd end up working on planetary spacecraft missions and science, so I can't quite believe I'm actually taking on this position."

As the Astronomer Royal it will be the South African-born planetary scientist's job to advise the king on astronomical matters. The role was first conceived by King Charles II in 1675 with the goal of solving the “longitude problem” for maritime navigation, at the time a centuries-long challenge, which was about accurately determining a ship's east-west position. Previous Astronomer Royals were also put in charge of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

But these days the title is mainly honorary. Michele, who has lived and worked in the UK for 34 years, was chosen due to her esteemed career as executive chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, president-elect of the Institute of Physics and a professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London.

Now, as Astronomer Royal, she will also help raise awareness about science and space, and will weigh in on the ethical implications of new technologies. And for all these extra duties she'll be paid a princely sum of £100 (R2 400) a year!