Question: what is the most hostile environment that you have researched on???

Monique Henson answered on 10 Nov 2015:

I do most of my research in an office, so it’s pretty friendly.

Errm I’d say most environments in space are quite hostile. In between stars and planets, there isn’t very much stuff, and it can get pretty cold. Even near stars, you’re not that safe, as there’s probably harmful radiation (the Earth’s magnetic field protects us from these normally).

In galaxy clusters, which I study in my work, there’s lots of hot, turbulent gas. It’s so hot it emits X-rays, which would be harmful to you. There are also galaxies flying around through that gas, travelling faster than bullets. I’d say that’s pretty hostile!