I wrote something .... andthentheresphysics.wordpress.com/2026/02/08/s...

If you've got pre-teens in your lives, check out the Feb #Alien edition of Aquila, with #comic artist Edward Ross & me. We visit #K2-18b, aka "The Planet of the Plankton", to see how #JWST detects chemicals on distant planets, & show that sensational science reporting isn't always to be believed.🔭🧪

Listeners to Radio 4’s Inside Science today get an essay from me in defence of astronomy as pure research. Please listen in and let me know what you think. Show starts 4.30pm GMT here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...

Thanks to @iansample.bsky.social at the Guardian for covering the devastating funding cuts that are being proposed for UK (astro)physics, and the dire impact these would have on young researchers. Will UKRI/STFC reconsider? Will the UKGov step in?🤞👩‍🔬🧪⚛️🔭 www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

🔊 Calling UK early career researches in astro, particle & nuclear physics. Please sign this open response to the proposed cuts at STFC ⚛️🧪🔭 "Protecting the UK's reputation as a science superpower requires not only investment, but continuity, confidence, and people" ✍️ ecr-openletter-stfc.github.io

Popcorn at the ready: the UKGov Science, Innovation & Technology Committee is about to quiz Sir Ian Chapman about UKRI’s new strategic objectives. Will they ask him about the devastating cuts planned for UK astronomy? Let's hope so. 🔭🧪 📺 Watch live from 9:30am: parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

Fuming 😡 Teacher: "you can usually tell the girls that want to do physics, they look a bit tomboy-ish" #WomenInSTEM #ASPIRES3 @iop.org

The new #ASPIRES3 Physics report is difficult reading. Physics: * remains male-dominated (24% fem) & privileged * aspirations decline from the start to end of school 😔 * is considered the least interesting, most difficult science 😭 * is for brainy "geeks" 😮‍💨 Lots of useful recommendations though🎢🧪👩‍🔬⚛️

Perks of the job: sneak previews of awesome books! @dreochapman.bsky.social has outdone herself with Radio Universe - a truly joyful & eloquent tour of the Universe through the 'eyes' of the oft-neglected but nevertheless remarkable radio telescopes of the world. Warmly recommended - out in March!🔭

"It is the moon, I ken her horn, That's blinkin' in the lift sae hie; She shines sae bright to wyle us hame, But, by my sooth, she'll wait a wee!" Lots of despair & sadness watching the 🇺🇸news today. I'm hoping Burns can lift your spirit today. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Happy #BurnsNight🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 📷@tomduffinphotos.bsky.social

Eldest child "made an insta reel" 🫣 #BraidwoodTelescope 🔭

#GoodNewsStory with a victory for equality! The girls team winners of the #Edinburgh Schools Football Cup have now been presented with a proper trophy to celebrate their success! So proud of the S Morningside team for calling out the Schools Sports Association! 🥳 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Frogston Primary totally lucked out on their first night away at 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Lagganlia outdoor centre: clear skies and #aurora! Just as well we told them all about sun-spew in last week's planetarium show! Super proud of our P7 trained-astronomers who braved -2℃ to take these fantastic space photos. #SYTN 🤗🥳🔭🧪

Just off the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿radio after a lovely #Artemis-II return to the moon chat with @ollopa11.bsky.social! Leo taught me that the Orion capsule is the first moon-mission with a toilet-cubicle on board! The 1970s Apollo astronauts were afforded no such dignity😳 🛰️ ℹ️: www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/artemis...

🥳 The clouds have cleared! Balgreen Primary expertly using their Dynamic Earth astronomy training to take these awesome images on their residential at Lagganlia outdoor education centre in the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Cairngorms. So proud of these P7's who braved the baltic snowy night for science! 💪 🔭 #SYTN

Brilliant reaction to the Dynamic Earth Planetarium-on-tour experience from a P7 pupil at Frogston Primary this morning 😍 "It felt like I was floating in space" #scicomm @notverymedieval.bsky.social @spacedoot.bsky.social

🥳 Major milestone for the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Scottish Dark Sky Observatory: architectural designs are now public and isn't she a beauty! Two 5m 🔭domes, observing deck, solar-panelled planetarium, exhibition area & cafe. Fingers crossed that planning permission gets approved! ℹ️: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 📷: arpl

OK #exoplanet friends, is it super-jupiter or super-Jupiter? I'm thinking much like we have the Galaxy (Milky Way), and galaxies (the rest), big exoplanets should be super-jupiters: there is Jupiter, unique in our solar system, and then other jupiters and super-jupiters around other stars? 🤔

Did I mention how much I love planetaria? That immersive experience is unbeatable! Here's the Dynamic Earth team @notverymedieval.bsky.social and @spacedoot.bsky.social in action at Balgreen Primary.

A fab morning of space exploration at Balgreen Primary today, with the Dynamic Earth Planetarium team. We're using colour-in mood characters to collect feedback from the class and I love this response so much that I just had to share it. "Jumping out of Joy!"😍 #scicomm 🔭

A splendid cold walk to Fiddlers Gill to see the fab but rusting Victorian #Braidwood Telescope! Once part of the now long-gone Lanark Observatory, its optics are safe at the Lanark Museum. Sadly I see no hope in restoring this beauty tho, that's been long-abandoned in this field ☹️ #histsci 🔭🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Looking for diversion from the wtaf-ness of the news? I have a stargazing challenge for you👇 Just completed it myself on Portobello Beach: got overly excited by the beauty of it all & accidentally accosted a group of French photo-taking tourists to tell them all about it "C'est vraiment Jupiter?"🤩 🔭

I have a Wolf supermoon stargazing challenge for you tonight (Jan3rd, weather Gods willing). Raise your arm to the moon to find Jupiter which is ~2-fingers below it to the right. The Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux are ~3-fingers to the left. This is your last #supermoon until Nov - enjoy! 🔭🧪

Feeling very pleased with myself: made bread and butter pudding out of stale stolen #WasteNotWantNot. It's a whole new level of xmas gluttony 😋

Plenty of time left to apply to the Astro PhD program in Edinburgh! (Deadline in 2 weeks)

On this darkest solstice day of the year, my heart has dimmed, waking up to learn of the loss of dear colleague and mentor, Yannick Mellier. Yannick will be known to most as the lead of the amazing Euclid Space Telescope which will revolutionise our understanding of the Dark Universe 🧵🔭

Wishing you all a very happy holiday (as and when it starts for you) with this, the best-christmas-card-of-the-year, a gorgeous lino print of the Euclid Space Telescope! @eucliduk.bsky.social 🔭🎄 🙏👩‍🎨: @notverymedieval.bsky.social

Anyone want to send their name around the moon with Artemis-II? Sign-up before Jan 21st (it's all free). 🧪🔭 ℹ️: www3.nasa.gov/send-your-na...

How have I only just discovered google maps for space? If you, like me, did not know about this little piece of internet treasure, you must check it out! You can fly over moons and planets - and it's all real data <little happy skips> 🤗 🔭🧪 👉: www.google.co.uk/maps/space/ 👇: Dwarf planet Pluto!

“We wouldn’t have the Rubin Observatory today if [Tony Tyson] hadn’t had that vision, and also that dogged determination,” says @astroroyalscot.bsky.social. Find out why Tyson is on @nature.com's list of people who shaped science in 2025. 🔭 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Working on an exciting & secret project with my good friend comic artist Edward Ross. What do we think of the first draft rough image of Cartoon Catherine 😂

I'm now an officially Big fan of #Biggar! Loved the xmas lecture vibe in the packed theatre - and so many cool questions in the Q&A 🥳. Huge thanks to the Biggar Science festival @biggarsciencefest.bsky.social team for organising!

🔊Big in #Biggar! If you're in the #Lanarkshire area, the Biggar Science Festival's Christmas lecture in the Corn Exchange, will be featuring yours truly. We'll be discussing the 4 questions that I'm most often asked! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🔭 ⏰: 11th Dec @ 19:30 🎟️: biggarce.yapsody.com/event/index/...

A big shout out to the P7 class of Stockbridge Primary who took these utterly awesome photos last night on their residential visit to the Lagganlia outdoor learning centre in the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Highlands. Lagganlia is part of the Scottish Youth Telescope Network and I'm so proud of these kids! 🥳 🔭 #SYTN

Stonking sunspots photobombed by a departing flight this lunch break #Seestar 😎🔭. #AR4294

Pinch Punch first day of the month! And a🎄🎅 xmas month too! Here is your December Sky Diary courtesy of @astronomyedinburgh.bsky.social. Time to start planning your night jaunt away from the streetlights to appreciate the upcoming #Geminid Meteor Shower. Peaks Dec 14th! 🔭

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Wishing Scots all around the world a happy St Andrew's Day! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Note, you don't need to be Scottish to celebrate! How about a nice bowl of porridge for breakfast or a wee dram of whiskey at the end of your day? 🥃 📷: @tomduffinphotos.bsky.social "Saltire on the Moon"

Wishing all my American chums a very happy thanksgiving with this absolutely awesome image of the ❤️👾 Pacman Nebula! It was captured by the fab Gilmerton Primary School P7s on their recent residential visit to Benmore, which is part of our Scottish Youth Telescope Network. #SYTN 🔭🧪

Have you e-signed @sciencecentres.bsky.social's letter to the UKGov? Today is your last chance before it goes to Downing St! Join 1000s of us in calling for fairer funding for the UK's science centres currently excluded from UKGov infrastructure funding.🧪🔭 ✍️ www.sciencecentres.org.uk/openletter20...

Perks of the job: sneak previews of awesome books! This is a beautiful blend of travel & adventure; wonder & awe; 🧪STEM, #histsci, astronomy, art & nature. If you've ever looked up and wondered "what is that?", then the inimitable @drlucyrogers.com has written this for you!

Whole household is buzzing this morning - disagreements however over which one was the greatest 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Scottish goal of all time! McTominay Scissor kick or McLean from the halfway line? Glorious! #Scotland #WorldCup www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

🥳 13yo says he's too excited to ever sleep ever again - what a phenomenal final 10 minutes! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #Scotland #WorldCup

Enquiry from an 8yo asking what the Fulton Orrery planets were? Apparently the #Kelvingrove museum staff didn't know, so he e-mailed the Astronomer Royal to find out! I also didn’t know, but the AstroSociety of #Glasgow did (after watching an old VHS recording on the topic!) 🔭 #histsci 1/2🧵

Want to make a wish on a shooting star? #DoLookUp! The #Leonids meteor shower is peaking, courtesy of the Earth ploughing through the debris left by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. 🔭🧪 1 Get away from streetlights 2 Take blanket ☕ 3 Lie back - 10 mins 👁️ dark adapt 4 🌠Wow www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/me...

Had a few enquiries recently about #Seestar smart-telescopes for #scicomm or xmas gifts for keen-kids. If you are lucky enough to have the cash (£369), these are a great investment & super easy to use. 👇These images were all taken in just a few mins in the light polluted city of Edinburgh. 🤩🔭

What a happy sunshine-filled lunch break with the #Seestar telescope: the Sun is extra spotty today! 🔭🧪

🥳 Huge congrats to @sherwoodobs.bsky.social! Their hugely successful creation of the Sherwood Observatory and Planetarium has been recognised with a King's Award for Voluntary Service! If you're in the Nottingham/Derby/Sheffield area, they are well worth a visit! 🔭 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Astrophysics applications for this scholarship are open and due 24 November! ifa.roe.ac.uk/phds-jobs-fe...

Fellow #scicomm chums - just discovered this excellent "colour-in mood characters" resource to help you collect feedback on the impact of your activity from primary school classes. Thanks go to @sciencecentres.bsky.social for sharing this! ℹ️: inclusion.sciencecentres.org.uk/documents/9/...

The obligatory selfie from this morning's trip to the BBC Studios in Edinburgh: another awesome set of listeners questions answered for BBC Radio 4 Inside Science 🤓