Seven Dials lands space guide from Dr Becky Smethurst

Seven Dials has landed an essential guide to space by Oxford University astrophysicist and popular YouTuber Dr Becky Smethurst.

World rights for Space: 10 Things You Should Know were acquired by commissioning editor Emily Barrett direct from the author. It will be published on 5th September.

The publisher said: “In her first book, Dr Becky Smethurst presents what you need to know about the universe in ten beautifully crafted essays for people short on time. Guiding the reader swiftly through the galaxies, explaining the mysteries of black holes, dark matter and what existed before the Big Bang, presenting the evidence as to whether we really are alone, illuminating what we still don’t know, and much more besides, this book is for anyone who wants to easily understand the mind-blowing fundamentals of our extraordinary, expanding universe.”

Smethurst's YouTube channel has 20,000 subscribers and sees Dr Becky discuss unsolved mysteries, weird objects found in space and general space news each week. She also presents physics videos for YouTube channel Sixty Symbols and astronomy videos for Deep Sky Videos. She was shortlisted for the Institute of Physics Early Career Physics Communicator Award and was named Audience Winner of the UK National Final of the FameLab 2014.

She said: “My goal for this book was to make it accessible, yet still engaging, inspiring and of course packed with enthralling science. My mum is fascinated by all things space, but she also started work at 15 and never finished her GCSEs. A lack of academic education should never prevent someone from engaging with big ideas, so this whole book was written with her in mind; to truly know a subject you have to be able to explain it in a way that anyone will be able to understand.

“These are the 10 things I think are the most fascinating things to know about space at this moment in time, and I hope it will both satisfy and kindle people’s hunger for space knowledge – whether they’re well informed or only just beginning on their journey into the universe.”

Barrett added: “In recent years ‘brief’ science books have shown there is a very engaged readership for short, captivating books on physics – but as yet there hasn’t been a similar engaging book specifically on space. Now Dr Becky Smethurst is filling that gap, and in a year when space is even more on trend than usual because of the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landings which takes place in July. The book Becky has written is characteristic of the charisma and enthusiasm that pervades her YouTube videos – cleverly simple at the same time as being utterly mindblowing. A must have self-purchase for space enthusiasts, and with such a beautiful package it will also make an ideal gift this Christmas.”