SKY high success for Haberdashers’ Monmouth School student, Sam Johnson, who earned a grade 7 in GCSE Astronomy an impressive two years early.

Student, Sam Johnson, has reached for the starts, quite literally, by achieving a Grade 7, which is the equivalent to an A in his GCSE in Astronomy in Year 9, which is usually taken in Year 11.

A keen member of Haberdashers’ Monmouth School’s Astronomy Club, Sam had spent countless evenings exploring the night sky, capturing stunning images such as his recent photograph of the Orion Nebula.

The school caught up with Sam to learn more about his passion for all things astronomy.

What first got you interested in astronomy, and how did that interest grow into taking the GCSE two years early?

“When I was very young I really enjoyed documentaries about the universe and phenomena like pulsars, white dwarfs and supernovae, as they involved lots of large explosions. Then at Prep, I had a really brilliant science teacher, Dr Wall, who told me there was a whole planet colonised by robots (Mars).”

“That sounded so cool that I was hooked on astronomy from that point on. I loved my Science lessons and our team got to the final of the National Quiz Club Schools’ Science quiz two years in a row. My specialty on the team was the periodic table and the universe.”

What’s it like studying astronomy and how do your teachers and the school support passionate astronomers?

“I really enjoyed the GCSE course as it covered everything from the earliest astronomers, such as the Ancient Egyptians and Eratosthenes to the latest telescopic discoveries, such as exoplanets.”

“I had to learn some quite challenging Maths to work out things like stellar magnitude, but Dr Jones was great and really helped us with the harder parts of the course.”

Can you tell us about the equipment you use at school, and how it helps you make real observations of the night sky?

“We use the Seestar S50, it is an amazing piece of kit, as it is easy to use, even when you are 14 years old. It helps you find everything you want to observe and to capture great images.”

You’ve taken an amazing photo of Orion, how did you capture it?

“I am lucky to live on the edge of the Black Mountains near a dark sky area, so I can get some really good astronomical photographs of my garden.”

Finally, what advice would you give to other students who are curious about astronomy and might want to get involved?

“As well as Astronomy Club in school, there is lots of information out there if you are interested in astronomy. I read Sky at Night magazine and also watch online lectures and documentaries. Recently I was lucky enough to watch an online lecture from the Nobel Prize winner Professor Sir Roger Penrose about black holes.”

“There are so many mysteries of the universe that are there to be uncovered, things like dark matter, and I hope to study them and maybe find some answers.”