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Teen gets front row seat for TV astronomy show
Professor Brian Cox with Jodie Walker
A ST Helens teen came face-to-face with her hero when she secured a front row seat at the BBC’s Stargazing Live astronomy show.
Sutton Academy pupil Jodie Walker met Wonders of the Universe presenter Professor Brian Cox after getting a coveted invite to the live broadcast courtesy of her membership of the Liverpool Astronomical Society.
The 15-year-old ended up making a return visit to the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire alongside dad Jamie for the second night’s show too and her mum, Gillian, joked that her daughter was “like a little celebrity”.
She said: “On the first night Jodie was sat just behind David Baddiel and was on the TV quite a lot. And the following night they spoke to Jodie to ask her how she had got into astronomy. She was absolutely buzzing.
“She got all her books signed by Brian Cox too and also got to meet Brian May and Dara O’Briain.”
Jodie, of Thatto Heath, first became interested in astronomy after researching it on the internet and joined the Liverpool Astronomy Society four months ago.
Stargazing Live was broadcastfrom the main control room of Jodrell Bank’s massive 76-metre wide Lovell radio telescope.
Mrs Walker added: “I think the first time Jodie saw Brian Cox in the flesh she was a bit starstruck. But she said he was really nice - a genuinely nice man.
“She’s worshipped him for the last two years so for her to meet him was quite an adrenaline rush.”
Jodie hopes to go on to study astrophysics in the future.
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Weather for St Helens
Tuesday 18 June 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
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