Dr Becky Smethurst

NASA’s brand new telescope is about to do in one month, what would’ve taken the Hubble space telescope a century to do. That telescope is called Roman, and it launches really soon on Sunday, 30th August 2026. But it’s not just about doing things faster than Hubble, it's about the questions the data from Roman will help us answer. Because those of you who’ve been around on my channel for a while have heard me talk about the crisis in cosmology where different methods are giving different answers

So Roman and Hubble are same size telescope, but vastly different fields of view - how does that work? If you haven’t heard of Roman, it’s NASA’s next flagship observatory, and it’s set to launch Sunday 30th August 2026. It’s named after Nancy Grace Roman, who was the chief of astronomy at NASA during the 70s where she pioneered the design and development of Hubble. So a fitting name for the Hubble telescope’s successor. Roman is the same size as Hubble, so the mirror that collects the light is

A toenail Sun! 🌙 ☀️ 💛 I couldn't help myself when watching the partial solar eclipse on Wednesday to point out that it resembled my favourite phase of the Moon 🌙 which I lovingly refer to as the toenail Moon! #eclipse #eclipse2026 #ukeclipse #moon #partialeclipse --- 👩🏽‍💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford. I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially

I can’t help but wonder about the ripple effects this eclipse will have around the world. So at 92% coverage here, this is the largest coverage of the Sun by the Moon in an eclipse the UK has seen since the eclipse of 1999. I remember that eclipse, I was 9, and it was the first time I remember being aware of the universe whirring away right above my head. It’s what got me into astronomy and being obsessed with space and science. So I can’t but wonder about all the kids and people out there watch

Don’t have any eclipse glasses? Here’s how to view the partial solar eclipse on 12th August safely using just two pieces of paper! Turn your back to the Sun and poke a hole through one piece of paper and use it to project the image of the eclipse down onto the other piece. Anything you can find with holes like this will work, including a kitchen colander! Maximum eclipse on Wednesday 12th August is around 7pm UK time, with just over 90% of the Sun covered by the Moon for those of us in the UK #

Don’t have any eclipse glasses? Here’s how to view the partial solar eclipse on 12th August safely using a colander! Turn your back to the Sun and use the colander to project the image of the eclipse down onto the ground. Anything you can find with holes like this will work! Maximum eclipse on 12th August is around 7pm UK time, with just over 90% of the Sun covered by the Moon for those of us in the UK #eclipse #eclipse2026 #astrotok #sun #moon

The closest thing to Starfall in ACOTAR is coming up on Wednesday 12th August - it’s the peak of the best meteor shower of the year! The one with the chance to see the most shooting stars, and it’s the perfect night for a date night picnic, or a picnic with friends, or a starfall party! Trust me, I’m a romantasy loving astrophysicist ✨ 💖 🪐 You don’t need any equipment, just somewhere comfy to lie down and look directly up at a clear sky and give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the da

I recently filmed with the BBC for Sky at Night for their section on what you can see in the night sky in August. We filmed on location at Flamsteed Observatory, run by the Derby and District Astronomical Society #astronomy #skyatnight #stargazing Watch Sky at Night live on BBC Four at 10pm on 10th August or on BBC iPlayer 👩🏽‍💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford. I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how w

The fact that the Perseids Meteor Shower 2026 is the same evening as the sunset eclipse, I just don’t think there’s a better night this year to take a picnic somewhere in the countryside, maybe as a date night or a family night, or with a group of friends, and just enjoy the wonders of the night sky. 12th August 2026 is the peak of the Perseids, which are visible wherever you are in the world. Plus we have perfect conditions for viewing the shooting stars of the Perseids this year, because the s

An astrophysicist’s live reaction to the brand new JWST images #jameswebbtelescope #jwst #nasa #esa #unfoldtheuniverse #space #astronomy #science #sciencetok #spacetok #astrotok

Can’t wait to share this with you all. Link in bio to pre-order! #astronomy #blackholes #astrophysics #science #space #physics #books #youtuber #booktok #sciencebook #scitok #astrotok #eventhorizon

Telescope application season: every astrophysicist’s favourite time of year… NOT! HST is 8 times oversubscribed so it’s very competitive! #astrophysics #astronomy #space #hubble #hubbletelescope #jameswebb #jwst #hst #hubblespacetelescope #NASA #ESA #womeninstem #womeninscience #femalescientist #cosmos #sciencetok