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astroroyalscot.bsky.social
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans
@astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Professor of Astrophysics, Edinburgh University. Director of the German Centre for Cosmological Lensing, RUB. #LongCovid (She/her)
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · Oct 17
Lovely to wake up to so many new arrivals 🤗 It takes a bit of effort to collate your timeline & find your feeds, but it's 💯worth it!

As a welcome, here is my favourite pic of the May24 #Aurora on Portobello beach #Edinburgh, where I live with my 2 sons, 2 cats & partner (eldest child is at Uni).🔭
It's night and we're looking out over the sea to sparkly lights on the far shore. Up in the sky are curtains of colour, pinks, greens and reds (the aurora) and some stary dots in the sky.
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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? 🤔
January 10, 2026 at 12:25 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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.
The green lights of the aurora across the top of the planetarium dome, students looking attentively at the presenter. Cartoon constellations on show in the dome Catherine, arms out-stretched (as always) getting overly-excited about Andromeda (which is on the screen behind her) - the class look on.
January 8, 2026 at 5:13 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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 🔭
Handwritten: I chose that one because I learnt sooo much information that I feel like my brains have been blown out. Jumping out of joy! Cartoon of a happy blob character flying up in the air with a delighted excited mind-blown look on their face.
January 8, 2026 at 4:27 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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 🔭🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Catherine (tall, long blonde hair) standing in a wintery field by a large old rusting telescope. The golden setting sun is illuminating the trees in the distance.
January 4, 2026 at 12:32 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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?"🤩 🔭
astroroyalscot.bsky.social Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 7d
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! 🔭🧪
January 3, 2026 at 5:26 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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! 🔭🧪
A star map for 19:30 on the 3rd Jan 2026. Marked on are the constellations of Gemini (two twins holding hands), and Orion (supposed to be a fearsome hunter but I always think it looks more like a old lady dancing in a large billowing dress) At the centre in the East, the moon is very close to Jupiter. Image from https://stellarium-web.org
January 3, 2026 at 10:56 AM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
Feeling very pleased with myself: made bread and butter pudding out of stale stolen #WasteNotWantNot. It's a whole new level of xmas gluttony 😋
December 28, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans
trentdupuy.bsky.social
Plenty of time left to apply to the Astro PhD program in Edinburgh! (Deadline in 2 weeks)
Plot of the number of applications received for the Astro PhD program in Edinburgh versus the number of days before the deadline. Red curve shows the numbers for 2026 rising faster than they did last year for 2025. Last year we reached >400 by the end and about 100 by now, 2 weeks before the deadline.
December 22, 2025 at 3:20 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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 🧵🔭
Yannick Mellier looking very dapper in tan suit and maroon shirt, arms raised, enthusiastically explaining something in a lecture theatre. This square astronomical image shows thousands of galaxies across the black expanse of space. The closest thousand or so galaxies belong to the Perseus Cluster. The most prominent members of the cluster are visible in the centre of the image and appear as large galaxies with haloes around them in yellow/white, comparable to streetlamps in a foggy night. The background of this image is scattered with a hundred thousand more distant galaxies of different shapes, ranging in colour from white to yellow to red. Most galaxies are so far away they appear as single points of light. The more distant a galaxy is, the redder it appears.] CREDIT ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi
December 21, 2025 at 8:45 AM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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
A handmade card featuring the print of a squat telescope out in space. The backdrop is a Christmas treat covered in a random selection of baubles.
December 20, 2025 at 7:19 AM
astroroyalscot.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...
Artemis II Send your name around the Moon! Sign up. Words on a background with the moon on one side and a space capsule on the other.
December 19, 2025 at 8:28 AM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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 🤗 🔭🧪
👉: www.google.co.uk/maps/space/
👇: Dwarf planet Pluto!
A list of planets next to a labelled image of a dwarf planet (Pluto).
December 18, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans
lsstuk.bsky.social
“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...
The visionary physicist who gave us a new way to view the cosmos
Tony Tyson is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2025.
www.nature.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:42 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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 😂
A photo of Catherine (long blonde hair) wearing headphones. A cartoon version on the right.
December 14, 2025 at 9:13 AM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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!
Catherine sat on stage looking up at the bright stage light and behind her is a big display wall that reads "Cosmic Discovery" on some pictures of galaxies.
December 12, 2025 at 10:09 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
🔊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/...
Catherine (tall and blonde) in the setting Sun with large telescopes behind her (this is the rooftop of the Paranal observatory in Chile). There are 4 questions listed: Will humans ever live on the moon? What are the chances of Earth being hit by a killer asteroid Are we alone in the Universe? What will happen at the end of time?
December 6, 2025 at 12:20 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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
An almost full silvery moon in awesome detail, pockmarked with craters. The swirling galaxy that is Andromeda with two little dwarf satellite galaxies, one above and one below it. The pacman nebula - looks like a pink piranha on a star studded sky
December 4, 2025 at 4:07 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
Stonking sunspots photobombed by a departing flight this lunch break #Seestar 😎🔭. #AR4294
A golden orb (the Sun) which a bunch of small swirly spots across its middle. A striking jet stream covers the sun from left to right. Just at it;s edge you can see the silhouette of an aeroplane tail wing.
December 2, 2025 at 2:10 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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! 🔭
Sky Diary December 2025 Highlights. A list of events and dates on a background of Christmas baubles. The text-only version is on this webpage: https://www.astronomyedinburgh.org/2025/11/23/sky-diary-december-2025/
December 1, 2025 at 7:21 AM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 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"
The cresent moon large behind a slightly blurry zoom in of the top of an ornate dome shaped roof. It's sporting a tall flagpole with the Scottish Saltire flag, blue with a white cross on it. Taken by Tom Duffin
November 30, 2025 at 8:58 AM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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 🔭🧪
A star-studded image. in the middle is a red puff in the shape of a heart (or Pacman depending on your view). Text reads Seestar S50, NGC 281, 42mins
November 27, 2025 at 4:09 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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...
astroroyalscot.bsky.social Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · Sep 27
The fantastic UK network of science and discovery centres needs your help to survive and thrive! Sign this letter urging the UKGov to stop excluding science from the financial support that is available for other museums, art galleries & theatres 🙏🧪🔭👩‍🔬🎢

👉✉️: www.sciencecentres.org.uk/openletter20...
Catherine having a laugh at the Aberdeen science centre with three girls playing with a powerful fan. Catherine chatting to an interested girl in front of an arch they've just built. Catherine and two kids looking earnestly at some marshmallows in a glass jar that is about to become a vacuum. Catherine looking through a giant lens. She has a mask on.
November 23, 2025 at 11:51 AM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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!
drlucyrogers.com Dr Lucy Rogers @drlucyrogers.com · Aug 13
I am very excited to report that my book is now available for pre-order!!

If you like things that fly – be it aircraft, bugs or birds, then this book is for you!

I am also so delighted with the beautiful cover art by @Rachelhillustrates.bsky.social :)

www.penguin.co.uk/books/461507...
Book cover of "UP" with butterflies, glowworms, bats, condors, a hot air balloon, an aircraft, a kite, stars, clouds and other things that are above us.
November 22, 2025 at 2:55 PM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
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...
November 19, 2025 at 7:53 AM
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
🥳 13yo says he's too excited to ever sleep ever again - what a phenomenal final 10 minutes! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #Scotland #WorldCup
theguardian.com The Guardian @theguardian.com · Nov 18
Tierney and McLean send Scotland to World Cup with thrilling win against Denmark
Tierney and McLean send Scotland to World Cup with thrilling win against Denmark
Hampden Park has hosted seismic, spine-tingling occasions in a storied history dating back to 1903. Add this one to the list. Scotland’s long, long wait is over. Steve Clarke, Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay, John McGinn; you shall go to the ball. So too Kieran Tierney, whose curler from 22 yards seemed to have sealed victory by the odd goal in five before Kenny McLean produced an even more spectacular fourth. Almost three decades of frustration, during which Scotland have peered towards men’s World Cups from afar, were obliterated as Denmark fell to defeat in stoppage time. Grown men in kilts shed tears. Denmark’s participation in next summer’s jamboree depends on March playoffs. Clarke and a suddenly giddy football nation can start making concrete plans. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:31 PM