Matt Williamson

@mattdoesscience

🌌 Owner of www.TaysidePlanetarium.co.uk 🎓 Presentation Skills trainer with @dyellowlees.bsky.social He/Him - Trans Rights Are Human Rights - 🏳️‍⚧️Ally

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Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· 28d

Next up! In my opinion, the best bridge in the world - the Forth Bridge! It's only downside is that you can't photograph its full glory if you're crossing it.

Matt looking very excited to be crossing the Forth Bridge. The view out the train window is a close up of one of the steel cantilever arms and the lattice of steel trusses, all painted red.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· 28d

Immediately alongside the new Tay Bridge you can still see the base of the piers from the old bridge. The original collapsed in 1879, not 18 months since opening, killing 75 people. This inspired the worst poetry in Scottish history, by William McGonagall, now carved in stone along the river path.

The Tay Bridge is a series of columns called piers, and alongside each pier is the stump of the pier from the previous bridge, which collapsed.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· 28d

Crossing the first of many bridges on way down to York for The BIG Event by @big-stem-network.bsky.social. first up, The Tay Bridge!

Matt looking excited at the view out the train window about to cross the Tay Bridge. The bridge is long series of columns with the track on top, crossing the width of the River Tay.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· May 7

Dogs are sulking cos I didn't take them to the polling station.

A large fawn-coloured lurcher curled up on a sofa.

A smaller fawn-coloured lurcher curled up on a different sofa

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Apr 5

I'm dreaming of a white Easter...

A back garden during a hailstorm, with plant pots covered in small hailstones, as a woman in a yellow raincoat runs across the path.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Apr 4

An exciting Thursday with the dome at Woodlands PS, Carnoustie. They got so lucky that the Artemis 2 crew successfully launched the night before. We got to talk about a lunar mission with the astronauts in Earth orbit, getting ready to slingshot towards the Moon! #artemisII #planetarium #scotland

Inside a school sports hall, sits the portable planetarium. The planetarium is a big black inflatable dome, reaching most of the way to the hall ceiling. It has a white zip running half way up one side, which forms the doorway to get inside. The Tayside Planetarium banner stand is in the foreground. The hall is empty of people, before a day of shows begins for the school children.

The Artemis 2 crew posing for their official portrait. The four astronauts are standing or sitting in the orange launch suits. Pilot Victor Glover, a bald black man stands at the rear, with mission specialist Christina Koch, a white woman with medium length brown hair standing to the left of the picture, holding her helmet in her hand. Seated in front is mission commander Reid Wiseman, a white man with short brown hair. Seated to the right of the picture is Jeremy Hansen, a white man with short brown hair, who has a Canadian flag patch on his shoulder, unlike the other three that have the US flag.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Mar 4

Had a wonderful time on the Black Isle on Monday, taking the portable planetarium to Avoch Primary. We chatted about planet parades, meteor showers, and the upcoming (delayed!) Artemis mission launch. The kids were bubbling with joy and with questions. A fab day all round.

A portable planetarium set up in a school hall. The planetarium is a big inflatable black dome that reaches almost to the ceiling. The Tayside Planetarium advertising banner is set up in front of the dome, showing a colourful image of deep space.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Feb 28

The face of someone who's just been chased round the house, while finishing a Yorkshire pudding, and who has learned NOTHING.

A lurcher lying on a sofa getting belly rubs. He looks very content.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Feb 23

Back on the trains again down to Liverpool bringing some of the @dyellowlees.bsky.social storytelling magic to LJMU. A good omen over Dundee to start the journey!

A rainbow shines over the houses and trees and parks of the West End of Dundee. The waters of the Firth of Tay are in the foreground, as the photo is taken from the train as it passes over the Tay Bridge.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jan 20

There was a brief moment last nigtlht seeing the aurora from Dundee, at least until the cloud set in completely.

The night sky seen from a suburban back garden, with the shapes of clouds seen to the northern horizon, backlit by the green light of the aurora.

The same back garden view of the night sky with a completely overcast layer of cloud, and no more green aurora light.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Dec 9

Awww no! Hope you're feeling better soon. Have a silly sausage of a dog for comfort.

A fawn coloured lurcher type dog being stroked on the belly, adopting a very silly pose with one leg outstretched and with teeth poking out from his top lip.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Nov 12

Yup, those are clouds.

A view of the night sky with foreground trees and a blanket of thick cloud, completely obscuring any possible aurorae.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Nov 12

Had a fab time back at Seaview PS in Monifieth, with two whole days of planetarium shows, and every class in the school! Lots of great questions from the kids about gravity, the search for life, and what's in the sky this autumn.

The portable planetarium set up in a primary school hall. The planetarium is a big black inflatable dome.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Nov 4

Lovely bit of sunset.

Sunset over the Firth of Tay, with the new arch sculpture at Broughty Ferry in the foreground, looking upstream towards Dundee and the Tay bridges.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Oct 22

Returning home from a lovely trip to Durham (where I was a student back in the olden days). Had a fab time as always with @iapetusdtp.bsky.social doing Presentation 101. A very informal session in a very fancy building!

Matt pulling a funny face in front of the beautiful red brickwork of Old Shire Hall, Durham.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Sep 15

Had an absolutely fab day Saturday. Took the planetarium to Biggar Science Festival. Some lovely shows for young & old, including folks who braved the rain to reach me! Some tried to make it round all the venues throughout the town. Great chats about dark skies, meteorites & aurorae. Cheers Biggar!

The black inflatable dome of the portable planetarium, set up under the wooden rafters of the church hall in Biggar, Scotland.

The aurora borealis, or northern lights above some foreground buildings. This aurora show is a mixture of green and reddish purple colours with faint stripes, almost resembling the classic effect called the "shimmering curtain".

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jul 17

Or to give him his proper name, Michael Faraday, inventor of the frisbee

Michael Faraday's statue holding a coiled wire that looks a bit like a frisbee.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jul 17

It's Mikey Boy!

Matt having spotted the statue of a Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution where this event is taking place.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jul 16

The view out the train window was better yesterday! Busy week, training online for Politecnico Milano, then a night in Newcastle and now I'm on to Leeds for some lovely chemists, and then it's the BIG event in London with @big-stem-network.bsky.social

Matt sitting in a train seat advertised as a window seat, but with no window to look out of.

Matt crossing the Forth Bridge by train. The view out the window includes the waters of the Firth of Forth and the structure of the bridge itself, which is lots of steel struts painted a ruddy brown.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jul 9

New prop alert! The cactus in the background of my online presenting set up has now died of neglect (oops). Well here's one I can't kill!

Matt biting a small artificial cactus in its pot.

Matt's online presenting setup, to the right of screen. It includes a once-healthy and real potted cactus on the shelf in the background.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jul 7

"Get your presentation skills, get your presentation skills here, they're lovely and fresh..."🥕🫑🌽 But seriously, you can sign up for workshops this summer - as an individual! Join Duncan and me online this August. thoughtful-motivator-597.kit.com/posts/you-ar...

Matt presenting online with a slide that says "Storytelling for Researchers"

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jun 12

He regrets nothing...

A royal python looking very cozy in the underside structure of the sofa.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jun 12

Phobia warning: snakes. Those of you who know me well will spot what is wrong with this picture of the underside of my sofa.

The underside of a sofa with a small part of a pet snake visible in the structure.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· May 14

Had a lovely time taking the portable planetarium to the SmartSTEMs event on Saturday at Morrisons Academy in Crieff. Met lots of nice folk and we talked about everything from light pollution to Mars Rovers, to the doomed Venus Lander Kosmsos 482.

People inside the portable planetarium looking up at a simulated blue sky over a landscape of trees and farmland, with a bright Sun visible.

The portable planetarium set up in the gym hall at Morrison's Academy, Crieff. It is a big black hemispherical dome, 3.5m tall, with a table of cushions and the Tayside Planetarium banner in front of it.

Inside the portable planetarium, the projector is displaying an image of deep space, featuring many many galaxies of different shapes and colours and sizes.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Mar 29

Eclipse spotting not going great here in Dundee either!

Matt, looking grumpy with a very cloudy sky behind him.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Mar 14

Now home from a fab week in Shetland. The scenery is stunning and I made it to the northern tip of Britain's most northerly inhabited isle, Unst! I did a couple of planetarium shows for the National Space Academy camp. And I saw otters!

A reconstructed viking longship called "Skidbladner" positioned in the open air just outside Haroldswick, on the Isle of Unst, Shetland.

A view across open water to the tiny island of Muckle Flugga, with its lighthouse. Taken from the northern tip of the isle of Unst.

The portable planetarium, set up inside a village hall. It is a large black dome shaped structure. In the foreground is the Tayside Planetarium banner.

The outside of a village hall. The sign reads "Uyeasound Hall"

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Feb 3

Mine is black on the outside, but yes it's very similar to what you're remembering. Here it is at a school in Angus the other month. I'm at www.taysideplanetarium.co.uk

A portable planetarium set up in a school hall. It is a large black inflatable dome structure.

Inside the planetarium, with the projector showing off a colourful nebula amid stars.

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jan 16

And here are some more mascots...

A cute mushroom mascot made out of household junk

A cut little mascot made out of household junk, with colourful wings and pompom feet, and plastic glasses, named Dave.

A mascot made of fallen twigs and branches, with a very natural appearance.

A mascot inspired by the emperor Hadrian, with bulging eyes and a Roman themed headress, all made out of household junk

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Jan 16

Another fab year leading the team building and presentation skills sessions for @iapetusdtp.bsky.social . The room was a buzz with creativity from the get go. @ruth-wright.bsky.social has shared some of the mascots, & here's a clip as the teams had 5min to recreate an emotional film scene!

Matt Williamson@mattdoesscience· Oct 22

Sunday was an absolutely fab day at the Dundee RPC for the @GirlGuidingDund event. We did taster shows in the portable planetarium for Rainbows, Brownies, and Guides from all over Dundee.