Becky Smethurst
Becky Smethurst, known as Dr. Becky, is an Oxford astrophysicist, author and YouTube creator who explains black holes, new discoveries and the science behind the night sky.
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Latest
Becky’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus her backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
- Night Sky NewsMonthly astronomy news · Creator and presenter
YouTube - Royal Astronomical SocietyThe Supermassive PodcastAstronomy podcast · Co-host
- A Brief History of Black Holes2022 · Author
Pan Macmillan - Space: 10 Things You Should Know2019 · Author
Seven Dials - Cosmos: Explore the Wonders of the Universe2024 · Foreword writer
DK
Overview
- Also known as
- Dr. Becky
- Grew up
- Chorley, Lancashire, England
- Work
- Astrophysicist, science communicator and author
- Research home
- University of Oxford, Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellow
- Channel launch
- October 2018
- Research focus
- How galaxies and their supermassive black holes evolve together
Mini bio
How it started.
Becky grew up in Chorley, Lancashire. In a Physics Today interview, she recalled disliking school physics until she realised that the astronomy she loved was physics too. An engineering graduate job helped her recognise that she wanted to return to astrophysics.
Finding her audience.
After her Oxford PhD, she made videos for Sixty Symbols while researching at Nottingham. When she moved back to Oxford, she started Dr. Becky in October 2018. Her first video challenged the name “galaxy print”: the patterns were actually nebulae. Monthly space news and unsolved mysteries became recurring reasons for viewers to return.
Research meets the night sky.
At Oxford, she studies how supermassive black holes and galaxies evolve together. On YouTube, she brings that curiosity to new research, strange objects and Night Sky News. Fans can also hear her alongside Izzie Clarke on The Supermassive Podcast.
Books for curious readers.
Her first book, Space: 10 Things You Should Know, appeared in 2019. A Brief History of Black Holes followed in 2022, exploring the discoveries behind these objects. She also wrote the foreword to DK’s illustrated Cosmos in 2024.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2024Cosmos: Explore the Wonders of the UniverseForeword writer
- 2022A Brief History of Black HolesAuthor
- 2020Space at the Speed of LightAuthor, North American edition of Space: 10 Things You Should Know
- 2019Space: 10 Things You Should KnowAuthor
Video and audio
- 2026Night Sky News October 2026Creator and presenter
- 2026BepiColombo’s Massive Mission to Mercury, The Supermassive PodcastCo-host
- 2026Why it’s so hard to get to MercuryPresenter, with Scott Manley
Awards
- Royal Astronomical Society Winton Award2022 · Recognition for promising development in postdoctoral astronomy research.
- Mary Somerville Medal and Prize2020 · Institute of Physics award for public engagement.
- Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship2020 · Royal Astronomical Society.
- Vice-Chancellor’s Public Engagement with Research Prize2019 · University of Oxford.
- FameLab UK national final2014 · Audience winner and judges’ runner-up.
Quotes
I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know.Becky Smethurst, official website
Her description of the approach behind her astronomy videos.
Trivia
- Her first Dr. Becky video pointed out that “galaxy print” clothing often shows nebulae rather than galaxies.
- She says her favourite programming language is Python.
- In the USA and Canada, Space: 10 Things You Should Know is titled Space at the Speed of Light.
- Her undergraduate summer job at a wedding venue bar gave her practice explaining physics to people without a science background.
Find Becky
Follow her for black holes, space discoveries and a guide to the night sky.
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