Speaker profile
Mr Tom McCrorie
Available for booking
Ayr, Ayrshire and Arran, Scotland
200 miles travel distance
Amateur Astronomer
Astrophotographer
Science Communicator
Summary
Amateur astronomer, astrophotographer and founder of the Picastro App and MessierPlanner.co.uk.
Full biography
I’m Tom McCrorie — a designer, founder, and lifelong astronomy nerd based on Scotland’s west coast. My work sits at the intersection of thoughtful design, community-driven technology, and a deep curiosity about the night sky.
I’m the founder of Picastro, a dedicated social platform built specifically for astrophotographers and space enthusiasts. Picastro was created to solve a problem I experienced first-hand: there was nowhere that truly respected astronomy imagery, the effort behind it, or the people creating it. The platform is deliberately ad-free, bot-free, and distraction-free, focusing instead on high-resolution image sharing, learning, and genuine community. Picastro has grown into a global space for “Picastro Nerds” of all experience levels — from first-time imagers to seasoned astrophotographers — who want to share, learn, and connect without the noise of traditional social media.
Alongside Picastro, I built Messier Planner, a practical planning tool designed to make deep-sky observing and imaging more accessible. The aim is simple: help beginners and experts alike plan their Messier sessions with clarity, confidence, and less guesswork. It’s intentionally straightforward, focused on usefulness rather than feature overload, and tightly aligned with the Picastro ecosystem.
I’ve delivered a number of talks to local astronomy clubs, local schools and wider photography clubs as well as business presentations and talks on the joys and hurdles of running a tech startup.
Outside of astronomy, I run atom, my design and branding studio. Through atom, I work with businesses, organisations, and cultural projects across Scotland and beyond to create brand identities that are emotionally resonant, strategically sound, and built to last. I specialise in “unblanding” brands — moving them away from trends and towards clarity, confidence, and authenticity.
At heart, everything I build — whether a design system or a space platform — is about people. Creating tools, brands, and communities that feel considered, human, and genuinely useful is what drives my work, both on Earth and under the stars.
