Dorset County Museum is hosting a talk by Dr Caroline Smith called Treasures from Space on October 8 at 7pm.

Chance and a fascination for discovery brought her to the Natural History Museum and she now looks after the oldest specimens in its collection.

Dr Caroline Smith became a meteorite expert almost by accident.

At the end of her geology degree, she badly injured her knee, meaning she was unable to go on fieldwork for her thesis. Instead, she went to the Natural History Museum in London and was handed a box of meteorites from Antarctica and asked to categorise them.

Ever since, she’s been attached to both meteorites and the museum, looking after their important collection, planning exhibitions and talking to the public.

The collection also includes two Martian meteorites that fell almost exactly 100 years apart.

“They contain evidence that Mars was once a wet place, and that some rocks could lock away carbon dioxide, as they do on Earth.

She said: “It’s another piece of the puzzle that shows that Mars and Earth are quite similar.”

The lecture takes place at 7pm and doors are open from 6.30pm.

The event is free but donations are welcome and all are welcome to attend. Further information is available on dorsetcountymuseum.org