Matt Bothwell
@mattbothwell.com
Astrophysicist, science communicator, author, human person
🪐 Public Astronomer at the University of Cambridge 🏛️ Bye-fellow at Girton College, Cambridge 📚 Author of The Invisible Universe, Astrophysics for Supervillains, & more
www.mattbothwell.com
🪐 Public Astronomer at the University of Cambridge 🏛️ Bye-fellow at Girton College, Cambridge 📚 Author of The Invisible Universe, Astrophysics for Supervillains, & more
www.mattbothwell.com
By popular demand, a side-on view of the glass gravitational lens! Now with extra autumnal-ness. 🧪🔭
October 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
By popular demand, a side-on view of the glass gravitational lens! Now with extra autumnal-ness. 🧪🔭
It is regular glass optics, but it’s a piece of glass specifically made so the lending matches the gravitational lending profile of a galaxy. This video shows it a bit better
October 21, 2025 at 2:39 PM
It is regular glass optics, but it’s a piece of glass specifically made so the lending matches the gravitational lending profile of a galaxy. This video shows it a bit better
Gravitationally lensed autumn colours! 🔭🧪
October 20, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Gravitationally lensed autumn colours! 🔭🧪
I'm delighted that my first children's book, Astrophysics for Supervillains, is featured in BookTrust’s Great Books Guide 2025, chosen as one of their top recommended children’s books of the year 😀🔭
www.booktrust.org.uk/book-recomme...
www.booktrust.org.uk/book-recomme...
October 10, 2025 at 8:04 AM
I'm delighted that my first children's book, Astrophysics for Supervillains, is featured in BookTrust’s Great Books Guide 2025, chosen as one of their top recommended children’s books of the year 😀🔭
www.booktrust.org.uk/book-recomme...
www.booktrust.org.uk/book-recomme...
Oh to be a cat in a drawer
October 5, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Oh to be a cat in a drawer
Back at the Royal Institution, as part of the book tour 😀
October 4, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Back at the Royal Institution, as part of the book tour 😀
Google AI doesn’t understand how borders work
September 23, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Google AI doesn’t understand how borders work
GPT5 now knows how many 'r's are in the word strawberry. But this seems like a one-off, and fails on similar words.
Has the 'how many 'r's in strawberry' question become easy just because it's now part of the training data?
Has the 'how many 'r's in strawberry' question become easy just because it's now part of the training data?
August 8, 2025 at 9:25 AM
GPT5 now knows how many 'r's are in the word strawberry. But this seems like a one-off, and fails on similar words.
Has the 'how many 'r's in strawberry' question become easy just because it's now part of the training data?
Has the 'how many 'r's in strawberry' question become easy just because it's now part of the training data?
The colour-coordinated flowers are on point at Peterhouse College!
August 5, 2025 at 12:32 PM
The colour-coordinated flowers are on point at Peterhouse College!
Aaaaaand… done! The first draft of Astrophysics for Supervillains 3 has been officially sent to my editor 😀
(Due May 2026. Ish.)
(Due May 2026. Ish.)
July 3, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Aaaaaand… done! The first draft of Astrophysics for Supervillains 3 has been officially sent to my editor 😀
(Due May 2026. Ish.)
(Due May 2026. Ish.)
It was amazing to be part of the Read For Good 2025 Summer Party, alongside so many great authors and illustrators. We went live to 65 schools around the UK, and spoke about scary unicorns, anxious doughnuts, and alien life across the galaxy. Fun times!
June 26, 2025 at 9:21 AM
It was amazing to be part of the Read For Good 2025 Summer Party, alongside so many great authors and illustrators. We went live to 65 schools around the UK, and spoke about scary unicorns, anxious doughnuts, and alien life across the galaxy. Fun times!
It was so great to speak at Cheltenham Science Festival (in one of the biggest venues I’ve ever spoken in!). Hundreds of super keen students came to talk all things extraterrestrial life, as part of the Great Alien Hunt book tour 👽🧪🔭
June 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
It was so great to speak at Cheltenham Science Festival (in one of the biggest venues I’ve ever spoken in!). Hundreds of super keen students came to talk all things extraterrestrial life, as part of the Great Alien Hunt book tour 👽🧪🔭
At the Cheltenham Festival to talk about The Great Alien Hunt!
June 3, 2025 at 11:12 AM
At the Cheltenham Festival to talk about The Great Alien Hunt!
Turns out London is infinitely nicer/more bearable when you cycle around
May 29, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Turns out London is infinitely nicer/more bearable when you cycle around
Oh to be a cat napping in a sunbeam
May 17, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Oh to be a cat napping in a sunbeam
People talking with ChatGPT and thinking it’s conscious are basically doing the human version of this
May 5, 2025 at 5:48 AM
People talking with ChatGPT and thinking it’s conscious are basically doing the human version of this
Somehow, my 2021 book The Invisible Universe is currently the #1 bestselling physics book on Amazon 🤯 I think I have Curious Cases to thank...
April 30, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Somehow, my 2021 book The Invisible Universe is currently the #1 bestselling physics book on Amazon 🤯 I think I have Curious Cases to thank...