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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans

@astroroyalscot.bsky.social

Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Professor of Astrophysics, Edinburgh University. Author of How to Design a Universe. @astronomerroyal on insta (She/her)

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 12h ago

One additional 'quick fact': if your name is John, the Nobel committee is twice as likely to award you the Prize for Physics, compared to scientists who are female - Number of physics prizes to a John: 10 - Number of female physics Nobel laureates: 5 Best wishes to all the John-hopefuls this yr 👩‍🔬⚛️

Nobel Prize@nobelprize.org · 13h ago

The announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physics is happening in one week – and we'll be breaking the news live at nobelprize.org. Quick facts: - Number of physics prizes: 119 - Individuals awarded the physics prize: 229 - Youngest laureate: 25 - Oldest laureate: 96 - Double physics laureates: 1

Announcement graphic for the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics, scheduled for 6 October at 11:45 CEST, displayed on a dark green background.
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 12h ago

I got sent a lump of concrete in the post the other day, with a handwritten message "Is this of interest?" Ha! Take that AI, and your farm of AI-slop! The astronomer royal still gets real mail from lovely people and I'm so delighted they still want to share their mad wonderful weird world with me 🤗

Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 14h ago

I miss getting radical theories of cosmology in mad pamphlets via the post. Now it's all AI-generated email offering me the chance to coauthor the manuscript of the century or - this seems new - insisting I make time to meet with the author to discuss their ideas.

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · yesterday

🔊Calling #Aberdeen #Elgin & #Inverness: I am heading North to come see y'all. There'll be grown-up book talks + school visits on route! Come & say hello. 🔭🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎢 📘Th 1st: Aberdeen Science Centre 📗Fr 2nd: Moray Astronomy Club 📙Sa 3rd: Inverness Science in the Atrium ℹ️: www.roe.ac.uk/~heymans/H2D...

A crowd of people sat in a large marquee awaiting the start of the show at Wigtown book festival. The holding slide says Prof. Catherine Heymans. Reader - Catherine almost falls of the stage in surprise when she walks out to see a full house waiting to hear her speak!Catherine is looking very excited, sat on a copy cushion with small people all around her. The text reads "Professor Catherine Heymans inspiring young minds about space" and "Attempting to explain the infinite universe to 5yr olds". Catherine is not afraid to tackle the biggest questions that the young people want answered!
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 2w ago

Here are all my tour dates (spit out my tea - yes I am going on actual "tour" 😲 - do I get to print a ti-shirt?). There will be planetarium shows, science talks and in-conversation events! Come and say hello some time! www.roe.ac.uk/~heymans/H2D...

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 3d ago

I absolutely love the idea of everyone across the world, looking up at the cosmos, together. Join in the international fun for 100 hours of stargazing! The challenges start this Thursday! 🔭🎢🧪⚛️ ℹ️: 100hours.online

Jenny Shipway@jennyshipway.bsky.social · 3d ago

FIVE days to go! People across the world will be looking up at the starry skies 1-4 October for '100 Hours of Astronomy'. Take a short break, step outside, and join us at 100hours.online to complete four simple stargazing challenges and put a marker on your town or city of our UK/Ireland map.

100 Hours poster, with an image of a young woman holding coffee and gazing up at the stars. She's stood by a public lawn area with houses behind. There's also a picture of a mobile phone showing the app with the four challenge badges, and a UK/Ireland map with pins in it - "Join beginner stargazers across the UK and Ireland. Find the Stars and put a pin in our map"
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 6d ago

"So we've got to make it look like she's in a simulation" "OK, got it. We'll make her shirt bright orange" "Fab! Float everyday objects in the background?" "I've got a chair, tennis ball and bat?" "What about an upside-down dog!" "Genius....and we're done" 😉🗞️: www.newscientist.com/article/2588...

Catherine smiling in black and white, with an artificially imposed alarmingly bright and pixelated orange shirt on. In the background floats a random selection of objects, a chair, tennis ball and bat, and upside-down dog that is very strangely proportioned - looks kind of cool but also kind of not.
New Scientist@newscientist.com · 6d ago

Philosophers have pondered whether we live in a simulation for centuries. Now, Astronomer Royal for Scotland Catherine Heymans suggests a compelling rationale for why our reality might actually be synthetic

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · last wk.

The two #Equinox are the only days when the Sun rises due East and sets due West, everywhere. At the Dec solstice the sun rises in the S-East. At the June solstice it rises in the N-East. As the days pass between the two, the sunrise position slowly changes passing due East each equinox.🤩 🔭🧪

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · last wk.

⏰ Start your countdown clock for the exact moment of the autumn #equinox, 01:06 (UK) 23rd Sept, when the Northern hemisphere and Southern hemisphere are equally illuminated. The day length in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Scotland will be ~the same as in 🇳🇿New Zealand 🤓🧪🔭 📷: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

The main diagram shows the Earth's annual rotation around the Sun, surrounded by a zodiacal scale that gives the names, symbols and images of the signs of the zodiac. The seasons and the positions of the equinoxes and solstices are marked. Text at the corners describes the Zodiac and the Earth, and a longer text at the bottom explains the Phenomena of the Seasons. From https://collections.rmg.co.uk/media/501/182/l1073_001.jpg
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · last wk.

#TopOfThePops (well - top 10 - momentarily - in the Amazon 🔭Astronomy audio book best seller chart!). Beaten by the several books authored by your main man Brian, G.O.A.T Sagan, and deGrasse Tyson. I'll take that. 🥳 📻: amzn.eu/d/06m17g9B

The front cover of Catherine's Book (moody dark with stars, but peachy-pink and golden at the same time). Ranked #10 in the Audible Audiobook rankings.
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 3w ago

Good news - I come in audiobook format too. 📻: www.audible.co.uk/pd/How-to-De... Here is me totally losing my mind with excitement after 6 1/2 days in the studio. Shout out to the most amazing producer, Beeg Al, Canongate studios, who kindly laughed at all my jokes and was just the nicest guy ever🙏

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · last wk.

My first 5* review! Now David hasn’t clarified what the score was out of, but I’m nevertheless taking this as a major win 🥳🥳. Thank you so much David for your very kind words - made my weekend 🙏

David Frew@drvon2.bsky.social · last wk.

Book Review: How to Design a Universe Fascinating update on the latest physics theories by @astroroyalscot.bsky.social Overall ***** 5 Stars Performance ***** 5 Stars (great to have an actual professor explain it) Story ***** 5 Stars (story = 'physics theories') more...

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 2w ago

🥳 First-light doughnuts from the very recently launched Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope! 🔭 Fear not - it will all look a lot prettier when focused!

Space Telescope Science Institute@stsci.edu · 2w ago

#NASARoman activated the Wide Field Instrument—a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will allow it to explore wide swaths of the cosmos quickly. This test image captures the very first photons of starlight to reach the instrument—taken as an initial performance assessment: https://go.nasa.gov/4rg4qEc

At the top, a grid of 21 panels shows a series of blue images with tiny neon green and yellow circles. A larger image highlights a section of the grid with circular patterns, and an inset presents a detailed star-like diffraction pattern. The colors consist of blue, green, and yellow.
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 2w ago

🔊Calling my #astrophotography friends. Look see! An exciting new competition from @royalastrosoc.bsky.social sponsored by First Light Optics. The judging panel will be in for an absolute treat, based on all the amazing images you already post on my timeline. 🔭 Sign-up ✍️: www.rastrophoto.ras.ac.uk

Royal Astronomical Society@royalastrosoc.bsky.social · 2w ago

Are you a keen astrophotographer? 🪐🔭📸 In November we're launching a new photography competition called RAStroPhoto to mark the 200th anniversary of our journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. It's free to enter and open to everybody! Scan the QR code to register your interest.

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 2w ago

👇At the #DynamicEarth book launch last night, a rare sighting of me with me fella. This was the 1st time we've ever been on stage together despite both of us often being on stage independently! @spacedoot.bsky.social was a total legend with the awesome planetarium visuals. An epic night had by all 🤩

Catherine tiny under a giant twisting turning Sun in the planetariumGuy playing bass guitar looking up at the craters on the moon in the planetarium
Michela Massimi@michelamassimi.bsky.social · 3w ago

A very special book launch 🤩 for the brilliant @astroroyalscot.bsky.social at Dynamic Earth tonight with musical accompaniment by husband Rory! Got the book signed for my son and his friend too — and now time to actually read what promises to be a really good book: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/how-to-de...

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 3w ago

Happy publication day morning to me!! Dear friend @chrislintott.bsky.social said on record that it was "Truly unique! Sparkling with charm and interest & uncompromisingly clear". In person he said "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but it was surprisingly good" 🥳 Major compliment! 🤗🧪

"Sparkling with charm and interest". Chris Lintott present of The Sky at Night Catherine's book is below it, looking dark and moody, but with peachy-pink tones.
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In mainstream and independent book shops: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/how-... Also amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/How-Design-U...

A journey through the science of reality "How to Design a Universe: the Science of Real and Virtual Worlds"