The physics of sinking boats (thanks Kenny. Sigh), porn in public and the "drag queen theory" of interviewing... quite the journey in today's @quietriotpod.bsky.social! oh, and some politics as well 😂

Another must watch from Sabine: youtu.be/5UsKzOkOn-c?...

Podyssey Season 2 @alexpodyssey.bsky.social is now very close to reality - threshold is being able to pay production costs and expert contributors for 10 episodes (season will be 20 episodes, but will pick up numbers/support as it goes). Please, become a monthly supporter. www.ko-fi.com/podyssey

Comet C/2025 Lemmon. Not the best shot... moving target and all that. Still, not a bad effort... #astrophotography

The Eagle Nebula, featuring the "pillars of creation". Taken last week from Malaga using an 80mm telescope, around 3.5 hours total exposure time. #astrophotography

The M33 galaxy in the constellation Triangulum. Taken last week from outside Malaga, Spain. 3.5 hours total exposure time.

OBAMA: It's fair to say that 80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go. They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything. They get very anxious about it.

New paper! The last of Eloïse Bretagne's PhD papers is out! Here we generalize our models for permeability to magma mush at any melt fraction. Take a look if you want to model percolative flow of melt through a magma mush and if you want to account for crystal shape. OA: dx.doi.org/10.1029/2025...

Nice to see my former colleague Daniel talk about this important issue. But I fear the damage is already done. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Verrückter Fakt des Tages: #vfdt Uranus stinkt. Natürlich hat kein Mensch jemals die Uranus-Atmosphäre gerochen, aber Messungen zeigen, dass sich dort Schwefelwasserstoff befindet, der auch verdorbenen Eiern ihren charakteristischen Geruch gibt.

Calling all students: You could have access to a free FT subscription without even knowing it. Check here: www.ft.com/schoolsarefree

Last week for @ftweekend.com and @financialtimes.com I took you on a tour of three classic bars. This week: three classic restaurants, namely Rules, Quo Vadis and Bentleys. You want edgy? You’ve come to the wrong place. And to access my FT reviews head to the LinkTree in bio.

BREAKING: They're scrubbing @banksy The court is erasing Banksy's mural just like it's erasing our right to protest.

I’ve spent the summer searching here and there for the much heralded uprising.

"I've lived in safe seats all of my life. I've only had one MP who's ever responded to my letter." Does FPTP really guarantee a meaningful "constituency link"? Our CEO Emma Harrison addressed this and other myths on @quietriotpod.bsky.social. 🎧 Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/7BkT...

I’ve never felt so disheartened. My small business means everything to me and I want to keep going. Please have a look at my website. Buy things, commission me or repost. www.gailmyerscough.co.uk Thank you.

Mark diaries: 1 mo from today! 7th Sept: total lunar eclipse (Moon-Earth-Sun alignment) for Europe, Africa, Asia & Australasia 🥳🔭🧪 A total lunar eclipse is faint red because it's reflecting the sliver of light from all sunrises & sunsets across the globe 🥰 www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/luna...

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

🚀 Europe’s first exascale supercomputer is here! JUPITER, launched in Germany, is the EU’s most powerful system and fourth fastest worldwide. 100% powered by renewables, it has also ranked first in energy efficiency. It will boost AI, science, and climate research. Read more - europa.eu/!vcWBqW

Let's also be clear, that wasn't a "damning" report on Rayner, it was a breach of the ministerial code for not taking due care and attention over personal tax matters in a complex situation. Would be amazed if any of the last government would survive this standard.

The Dumbell Nebula (M27), taken across several nights 2-6th August from the back garden. Slowly getting round to processing a backlog of images now the new observatory is up and running (eeek!).

Keir Starmer (PMQs): "We wouldn't need a returns agreement with France if we hadn't ripped up the Dublin agreement." But of course Labour won't join the supernova-bright dots and seek to rejoin the EU.

Une éclipse totale de Lune visible en France le 7 septembre

A masterful end to series 1, brilliant work! Particulary enjoyed the film comparisons to the modern "femme fatale". Oh, and the discussion/link to the triple star Algol. I will try and take a photo with the telescope later (weather permitting of course). Looking forward to season 2. Cheers.

"One of the most damaging consequences of Brexit is the loss of freedom of movement. UK citizens could previously study and work in Europe indefinitely, visa-free... For those from less fortunate backgrounds, these challenges could prohibit studying abroad."

Well here’s a contender for the mighty wokeydokey for the fab team at @quietriotpod.bsky.social 😎

As Weiss passed away, Physics Today has made a couple of his articles free to access. Here's his 1999 piece on creating LIGO.

I go. I try. And I will keep trying, even though it feels like a losing battle. Because I remember the whole point of the far-right astroturfing of social media is to make it feel like a losing battle, to make us give up. Anyway, a few snippets on small boat crossings and immigration.

Good piece, and a nice analysis, on all things University-related from @gsoh31.bsky.social on the @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social podcast…

More than 450 million Europeans. 29 countries. 1 shared freedom. This year, we mark 40 years of Schengen! The Schengen Agreement has reshaped how over 450 million Europeans live, work and travel.

Incredible

Bluesky is favoured by many academics - so why are universities taking a "wait-and-see" approach to it, despite migrating from X? Latest analysis from @andytattersall.bsky.social, plus views on why many universities remain silent on Bluesky. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Been waiting for this! That's my afternoon sorted later then haha! Cheers Alex!

“Theodore Roosevelt famously said that US presidents should speak softly and carry a big stick. Trump has been talking loudly and wielding a noodle. Putin has good reasons to be hopeful on Friday.” My column - From Alaska with Love. www.ft.com/content/3e49...

"If we want Britain to be more prosperous and stronger on the global stage then we need a plan to be back in the EU. At the moment, they’re not even making the argument." Bravo. Well said. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

OBITUARY Jim Lovell, commander of NASA's Apollo 13 moon mission, dies at 97 reut.rs/3UPKubN

And here is Part II of Aesop. Aesop III and an episode on Medusa 16/8 are the last of Season 1. As I research and write Season 2, if you can afford to support my work you can do so on ko-fi.com/podyssey - a monthly subscription is best. Thanks, you lovely people. bsky.app/profile/alex...

La catastrophe à bas bruit. Pendant ce temps, en France, on se bat pour augmenter le trafic aérien low cost et repousser le développement de l’éolien aux calendes grecques. #fatigue

Hearing cheers from the Oval carrying over on the wind… doesn’t tell me the result though!!!

The Great Nebula in Orion (taken some time ago - around 7/Jan 2025). #astrophotography.

North American Nebula, taken 20.05.25. #astrophotography

Big day for the matriarchy! 🥳 Huge congrats to the awesome Prof. Doughtery, lead on the Jupiter-bound ESA JUICE mission & STFC Exec Chair. If anyone's confused on the astro royal hierarchy: Michele and I are the astro equivalents of 🇬🇧Westminster and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Holyrood 🤗 ℹ️: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 👩‍🔬🔭🧪

Hello!

Another brilliant eposide, cheers! This made me laugh: … a vacuum begs to be filled - I can’t pop 4:33 on the turntable, without being tempted to hum a bit of Rossini, just to spike Cage.”

🆕 AESOP II: A dolphin and a seagull were hurling insults at each other 🐬 Is truth a set of facts? Might something fake be authentic? Can you contruct a truth out of lies? And why are unreliable narrators more compelling? 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/4hZ8... 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a...

This is a huge and highly consequential story in @theecologist.org‬ We have no idea what is being traded away to secure deals with other countries, and it turns out we are not allowed to know. So much for democracy. theecologist.org/2025/jul/23/...

The internet remains undefeated 😂😅

💣 SPECIAL: How dark money is taking our politics backwards Issues thought closed - like women's reproductive health - are now relitigated. @sturdyalex.bsky.social chats to @petergeoghegan.bsky.social about how this is funded. 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/4XSX... 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q...

Rather pleased with how this came out. The crescent nebula, taken over the last 2 nights, around 3.5 hours total exposure time. #astrophotography