Astrophysicist, science communicator and Wiradjuri woman Dr Kirsten Banks needed a way to talk about space during lockdown. So, she started a TikTok channel.
Is Venus upside down? What would happen if the Earth didn’t spin? Can sound create a black hole? Kirsten Banks can tell you in less than a minute. On her TikTok channel, @astrokirsten, Banks breaks down the complexities of space, astronomy, and the Universe in fun, snappy videos.
No question is off the table. An all-time classic from one of Banks’ TikTok followers was whether a human could propel themselves forward in space by farting (assuming they didn’t need to wear a spacesuit to survive!). “The answer is, yes, you can. That’s exactly how rockets work: expelling gas particles out of the back end to propel forwards,” Banks told The Brilliant. “The questions I get these days are amazing and hilarious. It changes my way of thinking – I love it so much.”
While Banks is a relatively fresh face on TikTok, she’s no stranger to science communication. Before COVID-19 swept through the world, Banks talked about all things space in person at schools and events, and regularly made appearances on radio and TV programs like Triple M’s Night Shift and the ABC’s Q&A program. That all changed when stay-at-home orders kicked into high gear in Sydney in 2020. “I couldn’t do science communication the way I had done for years,” says Banks, who is currently doing a PhD in astrophysics at UNSW Sydney. “I needed to find a way to talk about space otherwise my whole body would explode.”
Banks’ partner suggested she give TikTok a try during lockdown, and she hasn’t looked back. In two years, Banks’ TikTok channel has attracted over 335,000 followers and 7.8m likes. In January 2021, Banks’ knack for making science accessible to the meme-hungry, highly distractible audiences on social media landed her a gig as Space Australia’s resident TikToker. “The pandemic kind of forced me to innovate the way I do science communication,” says Banks. “It’s a big learning curve to squish 90 minutes of content into less than 60 seconds.”
Astronomy in a flash
Banks is a fast learner. In a video posted in July 2021, she answered a question about an astronomical event that had taken place on 5 January 2020. A viewer known as Mr Kampfer had originally directed the question to Hank Green, a US-based vlogger and science communicator with a background in biology. Banks found out about the video after some of her followers tagged her in the comments section on Mr Kampfer’s original post, saying that she would be better placed to answer the question than Green because of her astrophysics chops. In 52sec, Banks explained how a black hole eating a neutron star on that day created gravitational waves that passed through the Earth, stretching and compressing human bodies by 1/10,000th the size of a proton (ie, not much!). The clip has drawn around 2.2m views, making it Banks’ most popular TikTok video so far. As far as Banks is aware, Green never answered the question.
But sometimes, words aren’t enough to communicate an idea. In September 2020, Banks wanted to find a way to demonstrate how fast each planet in the Solar System rotates. With a cover of Dead or Alive’s You Spin Me Round as the background track, Banks videoed herself turning at different speeds to show the relative speeds at which each planet rotates. Fast-spinning Jupiter called for a dizzying twirl, while Uranus – which rotates on a 90-degree axis – required a quick roll on the living room floor. “It’s all about thinking about ways to make it fun and engaging and really just think outside the box,” says Banks.
Empathy is a quality that can be hard to come by in the thorny world of social media, but Banks keeps it front of mind when answering questions from her followers. If someone asks the same question twice, she takes it as a sign that she didn’t answer it adequately the first time. Mastering the art of distinguishing between constructive feedback and blatant nit-picking or abuse has also been an important part of her science communication journey. “Learning how to admit when you’re wrong, I think, is really powerful and a really good thing,” says Banks. “It shows that you’re not only there to help others learn, you’re also there to learn as well.”
Along with keeping TikTok videos fun and informative, Banks says that the most important thing to remember when making memorable content is to keep things real. “The lack of authenticity will show really quickly through those videos if you are not really believing the passion that you’re trying to portray,” she says. “If you’re not having fun, what’s the point?”
Following the Emu in the Sky
Growing up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Banks was fascinated by the sky from a young age. “It was really fascinating because it was something that you could see every single day and the weather affected what you would do,” she says. While most of the kids at Mimosa Primary School in Frenchs Forest wanted to be astronauts, veterinarians, or ballerinas when they grew up, four-year-old Banks’ dream was to become a meteorologist. But after watching a documentary on the Hubble Space Telescope at IMAX Sydney as a high school student, Banks knew she wanted to unravel the stories of the night sky. “Space is really cool and even more mysterious than how the weather works,” she says. “I needed to learn more about the Universe.”
A career in astrophysics was a no-brainer. After graduating from Davidson High School in 2014, Banks enrolled in a physics degree at UNSW Sydney. During her first year, Banks took a job as an astronomy guide at Sydney Observatory, even though she thought that public speaking was “the worst” during high school. “Why I chose to apply for a job that required public speaking is still a bit of a mystery,” says Banks. “[But] I fell in love with talking about space, and the challenge of making it accessible for a wide variety of people.”
Overcoming her fear of public speaking wasn’t the only thing Banks gained. When she came across a map showing the Indigenous nations of Australia at the observatory, she wanted to find out more about her own heritage. Banks had always known that she was Indigenous, but she wanted to find out which group she and her ancestors belonged to. “My nan was never allowed to speak language or talk about culture, so a lot of that knowledge was silenced and lost throughout the generations,” says Banks. After talking with her family members and digging into a family tree set up by her father, Banks discovered her links to Wiradjuri, a group widespread throughout central New South Wales.
After her cultural heritage being shrouded in silence for years, Banks is determined to bring Indigenous astronomy to light as a science communicator. In one TikTok video, Banks explains how the Gamilaraay people – whose lands stretch from New South Wales to southern Queensland – use the Moon and stars to predict weather patterns. And in another, she talks about the ceremonies the Yolngu people of the Northern Territory hold to mark the time when Venus shifts from appearing in the evening to the morning. Banks’ favourite constellation is Gurgumin, also known as “Dark Emu” or “Emu in the Sky”. In the Wiradjuri tradition, the position of Gurgumin in the night sky signals when emu eggs are ready to collect. “People should know about and understand the history that’s been a part of this land for tens of thousands of years,” says Banks. “It’s a very rich history that we have, and we should be really proud of that.”
One of Banks’ goals this year is to learn how to speak Wiradjuri. She also hopes to do a speaking tour to remote schools throughout Australia. “I really want to give back to the community the privilege I had growing up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney,” she says. “Everyone should have the chance to follow their dreams.”
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Article by Gemma Conroy
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