Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 30/09/2026What incredible good fortune for Man City that their real income increased enough to compensate for the loss of 'sham' payments the moment that the leaked documents end. 000
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Good news from the launch of the Roman telescope. A successful economical launch has extended the mission lifetime to 22 years! science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/...science.nasa.govFuel Savings Double Potential Lifetime for NASA’s Roman Mission - NASA ScienceThe results are in: NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s very accurate first mid-course correction, along with other fuel savings, are expected to more 0143
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 14/09/2026I can't emphasise enough how grim having the Swedish Democrats in power would have been. If you're in the UK, think a party more like Restore than Reform www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...theguardian.comSwedish centre-left opposition widens lead to three seats with 95% of votes counted – Europe liveThe parliament isn’t set to meet until late September to elect a new speaker, and then prime minister 030
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Reading the review reminds me of William Press' assessment of Hawking in his memoir: 120
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 07/09/2026We're back on Only Connect tonight! We take on the Culture Club, who we had met in the hotel bar the night before and are great. 030
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Is there anything worse than an AI assistant trying to be funny? 000
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 12/08/2026The best thing to use as an eclipse pinhole is, of course, the lid of a microwave rice cooker 141
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Breaking news: RFK Jr calls on people to stare directly at the eclipse. Calls solar eclipse glasses "vaccines for eyes". 001
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 11/08/2026This was incredible to watch. I've not always been a fan but after everything he's been through, the end of this race was 👨🍳🤌 www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/a...theguardian.comJakob Ingebrigtsen returns from injury woe to win historic European 5,000m goldJakob Ingebrigtsen, in his first race for 11 months after injury, won the men’s 5,000m final to become the first man to win four European titles in the same event 000
Reposted by Paul McMillanDavid Sloan @davesmaths.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Wonder if this will get the same level of media attention that other Cambridge news always seems to get. 0104
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Never let it be said that the people of BlueSky don't have their fingers on the pulse 000
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Plenty of 'discoveries' that hold sentimental value in my career xkcd.com/3281/xkcd.comAntiques Roadshow 020
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 04/08/2026In case anyone was considering taking the flag campaign at their word, they were careful to also be awful in other ways 011
Reposted by Paul McMillanMichael Merrifield @astromikemerri.bsky.social · 29/07/2026I am all for saving Jodrell Bank, but please don’t lose sight of the fact that it is simply the most visible manifestation of a much bigger problem, which isn’t solved if someone magically finds the money to keep it going, simply to shut people up. 🔭🧪 13717
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 28/07/2026I was just reminded off a brilliant thing that the brilliantly creative @sprawld.sprawledoctopus.com made: The periodic table, with the squares scaled to the fraction of the universe that is that element! 🔭🎢 sprawledoctopus.com/periodic-tab...sprawledoctopus.com 161
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 27/07/2026If you were to pick something to symbolise the damage being done to UK astronomy by the cuts we are facing, you couldn't do much better than this 🔭🎢 www.theguardian.com/science/2026...theguardian.comJodrell Bank Observatory facing closure after major funder cuts supportScientists say decision is blow to UK astronomy as deep space observatory is home to world-leading facilities 1133
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Prof Daisuke Kawata is looking for a student to study the Milky Way using simulations. I can't emphasise enough how good a PhD supervisor he appears to be, so if you know anyone (UK or otherwise) who might be interested, let them know! www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical...ucl.ac.ukPhD Projects and Application ProcessApplications are open for a STFC funded PhD studentship for an Astrophysics project starting in October 2026. 042
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Interesting idea. Start with wage theft by employers. 000
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Tragic ending to Vikram Dhillon's plenary talk at #NAM2026, where he tells us that the STFC cuts have robbed us of the future of this wonderful instrument. 1111
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/07/2026This is happening on Monday next week. That's me, lower right. I love Only Connect and filming it was a joy. Now I'm deeply nervous for people to watch me 1) get stuff wrong and look silly; or 2) get stuff right and look smug. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...bbc.co.ukBBC Two - Only Connect, Series 22, Two Hearts v Ad AstraA team keen on science fiction take on three fans of science fact. 140
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 13/07/2026Really excited about the return of Only Connect to our screens. Always a joy, sometimes a bit nerve wracking. First episode this evening www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...bbc.co.ukBBC Two - Only Connect, Series 22, Culture Club v MakeweightsThree rowers take on a team of microbiologists to find connections between clues. 010
Reposted by Paul McMillanBenjamin Benoit @benjaminbnt.fr · 02/07/2026Sorry to say #OnlyConnect will return 13th July, with a twist - it's a longer series! Contestants will need an extra step to get to the endgame. That would be my fourth series as a setter - very pleasing 😌 083
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 01/07/2026I'm pretty sure I once gave a talk (at a group meeting, not a conference) which ended with me saying something like "and the analysis has been running while I'm talking, let's see what results I got!" 1120
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 30/06/2026An exciting moment. The LSST will be a deluge of data that will be fascinating to explore 021
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Attention has been drawn to the difference in earnings for different degree types in the new IFS study, but I think the more egregious and obvious gap is still the gender pay gap! 120
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 22/06/2026And so ends the premiership of the dog that chased the car, caught up with it, then had no idea what to do www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...theguardian.comFrozen by the challenges of power: how Starmer turned triumph into tragedyStarmer appeared ruthless in banishing the influence of Jeremy Corbyn, and winning power – but far less certain on how to wield it 140
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 22/06/2026🔭 I'm giving a webinar at 4:30pm today. Sign up here! 🔭 031
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/06/2026hill I will die on: the world became worse when "staycation" was co-opted to mean "holiday in your home country" not "holiday where you stay at home, with day trips" www.theguardian.com/travel/2026/...theguardian.comMicro-staycations: why are people holidaying an hour away from home?Mindful of steep airfares and global uncertainty, more and more UK holiday-makers are staying close – very close – to home. Does this mean Milton Keynes is the new Malaga? 020
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 10/06/2026🔭 Congratulations to three brilliant astronomers who have won this year's Kavli Prize "for uncovering the fossil evidence of past mergers proving that the Milky Way galaxy was built through hierarchical accretion" www.kavliprize.org/prizes/astro... 🔭 0102
Reposted by Paul McMillanMeegan🌙 [Beegan🐝] @jovialstarfish.bsky.social · 05/06/2026Buffy: Lie to me. Giles: Yes. It’s terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true. The bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies and… everybody lives happily ever after. 334663
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 03/06/2026For an investigation into what changes depending on your definition of thin & thick discs, I would point people to Simon Alinder's recent, very thorough, study ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025arXi...ui.adsabs.harvard.edu 020
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 02/06/2026This is all true and important. In a move that is not at all shocking, the current government has made a terrible choice that it has not thought through. 🧪🔭 041
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Some part of me needs one of these. Any chance I can claim it's for teaching? 110
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 28/05/2026I'm giving a public webinar on "10 things you might not know about the Milky Way", on 22nd June. Sign up below! It will be of interest to anyone who's interested in space. Particularly, schoolchildren who might apply to University of Leicester (or their parents)! 🔭🎢 0154
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/05/2026I don't think 'definitive' is quite right, maybe 'standard', but if you want an estimate of the Milky Way's gravitational field, then I've got you covered: ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017MNRA... 093
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 14/05/2026I'm on the downslope towards 50, and am not looking forward to becoming racist. 010
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 08/05/2026A thoroughly enjoyable piece about the excessive reaction to any minor 'controversy' in professional football by @maxrushden.bsky.social, with a possible explanation for why I've never gotten too annoyed about them. 🔭 #everythingisshowbiz #everythingisshorterthanaHubbletime 020
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 07/05/2026In fairness the spectral type naming sequence makes about as much sense as the real one! ✨ (I'll concede that the repeated 'M' is worse) 031
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 07/05/2026🌌 🔭 2nd December 2026 will be a huge day for astronomy: Gaia DR4 is coming out! 5 years of data bringing better measurements and allowing new science 🔭🌌 www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/news 0161
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 30/04/2026When I first read this I was sad I hadn't heard about it and will miss it. Now I've found an invitation deeply hidden in my spam email folder and I'm just furious at our filter!! 🤬🤬🤬 Sorry to miss it Matthias! I hope it's a great meeting 010
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 27/04/2026I've seen where this leads. We're a few steps away from this guy: 020
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Covid + 14 years of Conservative underfunding of the NHS = www.theguardian.com/society/2026...theguardian.comPeople in UK spend fewer years in good health than a decade ago, study findsExclusive: Health Foundation says Britain is ‘going backwards’ compared with most other rich countries 010
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 21/04/2026🔭 Paper day x2! What would #GaiaNIR tell us about the Milky Way's bar? Óscar Jiménez-Arranz's paper sets out how much it will improve our picture of the Milky Way's central kiloparsecs 🔭 arxiv.org/abs/2604.18329arxiv.orgFrom Gaia to GaiaNIR: II. A new view of the Milky Way barThe Milky Way (MW) hosts a central bar whose pattern speed, orientation, and length remain uncertain, largely due to observational biases and selection effects, despite the transformative data provide... 050
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 21/04/2026🔭 Paper day! Love ESA's Gaia mission, but hungry for more? #GaiaNIR is the future, taking astrometry into the hidden dusty regions of the Galaxy. Isabella Henum's paper looks at what it will allow us to learn about globular clusters, including any dark matter haloes! arxiv.org/abs/2604.18265 🔭arxiv.orgFrom Gaia to GaiaNIR: I. Probing dark matter halos in globular clustersThe proposed GaiaNIR mission would extend Gaia's astrometric capabilities into the near-infrared, improving astrometric precision and enabling observations in heavily dust-obscured regions. In this wo... 030
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 21/04/2026The team captain had an amazing semi-final and final. Interesting to see what happens when you put astrophysicists on a TV quiz team! #AdAstra 020
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 17/04/2026My week has been almost entirely full of reading scientic write-ups, from student reports to papers I'm refereeing, and I've realized there is one hill I will die on: We should ban the use of the word "exhibits" except when referring to multiple items in a museum. 110
Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 01/04/2026I don't think I know anyone who's entertained by it. I can think of lots of other descriptions first. 110