Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Space scientist, educator and broadcaster, Dr Maggie has spent her career opening up science to wider audiences whove never seen themselves reflected in STEM.
This portrait is part of the Empowering Her Collection, featuring the women shaping Britain today.
A woman who looked to the moon and made space feel possible.
Her path wasn't easy. Dyslexic, moving between thirteen schools growing up, she built a career few would have predicted. Working on the James Webb Space Telescope, then bringing science to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren, before becoming one of the most recognisable faces of British science as co-presenter of BBC's The Sky at Night.
As a Black woman in a field with vanishingly few, she has spent that career making sure other children could see themselves in it too.
During the portrait sitting, Dame Maggie answered questions from local schoolgirls with the same seriousness she'd give a lecture hall.
Her work reflects a rare kind of generosity: taking a subject built on precision and complexity, and making it feel open, playful and possible for anyone curious enough to look up.
This portrait reflects that spirit directly. It draws on her lifelong fascination with the moon, using circular form and celestial symbolism to capture curiosity, wonder and imagination.
In Conversation: behind the portrait
An edited excerpt from the conversation between Caroline de Peyrecave and Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, recorded during the portrait’s unveiling at the Private View.
Maggie: Oh thank you, that’s beautiful.
Caroline: And the name is What Light Reveals.
Maggie: Gosh, that’s beautiful. I love the writing from the kids, because that was so lovely to have them asking questions. And I loved answering the questions. I love looking out into the beyond, it’s like contemplating the universe. The prism is like I’m bringing those answers into the classroom. So thank you. And also so glamorous. I have a softness, a warm glow. And the light, I like that.
Caroline: We had to bring the moon in somehow.
Maggie: Yes, the circle is perfect. It feels complete.
Caroline: Yes, I like a round canvas.
Watch the full conversation with all eight sitters
Recorded at Green & Stone Gallery at the Private View of Empowering Her. This conversation features Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Emma Barnett, Sally Phillips, Lady Phyll, Daryl Fielding, Zoe Stratford and General Dame Sharon Nesmith.
Explore the collection
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![Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe Portrait Thumbnail]()
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
A writer, mother and human rights advocate, Nazanin’s six years of unjust imprisonment demanded extraordinary resilience.
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Sally Phillips
Comedian, actor and writer, Sally Phillips has built a career by telling the truth through humour.
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General Dame Sharon Nesmith
The first female four-star general and the highest-ranking military officer in the British Army, General Nesmith's career has reshaped what's possible for women in the Army.
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Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah
Co-founder of UK Black Pride and a global LGBTQ+ advocate, Lady Phyll has spent her life creating space for others to exist fully and safely.
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Emma Barnett
Award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Emma has built a career centred on listening deeply.
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Zoe Stratford
Captain of England’s Red Roses and World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year, Zoe has become one of the defining leaders in women’s rugby.
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Daryl Fielding
Marketing leader and creative force behind Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, Daryl Fielding helped transform how women and girls see themselves.
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Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Space scientist, educator and broadcaster, Dr Maggie has spent her career opening up science to wider audiences who’ve never seen themselves reflected in STEM.
