Paul Byrne, an associate professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at WashU, was featured in “Volcano Worlds,” a PBS Nova documentary about the powerful volcanic eruptions that have shaped worlds across our solar system.
“Volcano Worlds” is the first episode of a five-part documentary series created by British physicist Brian Cox. The series, called “Solar System,” explores the spectacular wonders and mysterious natural phenomena that are happening right now on the surface of worlds that orbit the sun.
At WashU, Byrne’s research focuses on comparative planetary geology — comparing and contrasting the surfaces and interiors of planetary bodies, including Earth, to understand geological phenomena at the systems level.
As part of “Volcano Worlds,” Byrne offered his perspective on volcanoes in a number of different planetary contexts, including on Venus, a planet that is a primary focus of his research. When asked about images that reveal the prospect of recent volcanic activity on Venus, Byrne said: “I was so excited when we saw those images because what that tells us is that everything we’ve been thinking about Venus is right, that this world probably is volcanically active. And that just makes us hungry for more.”
Learn more about the series and view episodes on the Nova website.
