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Paul McMillan

@mcmillan-astro.bsky.social
2.6K followers 129 following 423 posts

Astrophysicist working on Milky Way dynamics and Gaia data. University of Leicester. Views expressed are my own. Website: paulmcmillan-astro.github.io

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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
What 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.
Figure from tsigalko23 on reddit, showing income from various sources. Approximate values:
Year   Total.  Legitimate Sham
2024–25	£340.4m	£340.4m (Legitimate)	£0.0m
2023–24	£344.7m	£344.7m (Legitimate)	£0.0m
2022–23	£341.4m	£341.4m (Legitimate)	£0.0m
2021–22	£316.0m	£316.0m (Legitimate)	£0.0m
2020–21	£271.7m	£271.7m (Legitimate)	£0.0m
2019–20	£246.0m	£246.0m (Legitimate)	£0.0m
2018–19	£227.3m	£227.3m (Legitimate)	£0.0m
2017–18	£232.3m	£97.6m	£134.7m (Disguised)
2016–17	£218.0m	£88.0m	£130.0m (Disguised)
2015–16	£177.9m	£75.9m	£102.0m (Disguised)
2014–15	£173.0m	£75.0m	£98.0m (Disguised)
2013–14	£165.8m	£74.8m	£91.0m (Disguised)
2012–13	£143.0m	£37.3m	£105.7m (Disguised)
2011–12	£121.1m	£28.1m	£93.0m (Disguised)
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🔭 Reposting for the feed 🔭
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Good 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.gov
Fuel Savings Double Potential Lifetime for NASA’s Roman Mission - NASA Science
The 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
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I 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.com
Swedish centre-left opposition widens lead to three seats with 95% of votes counted – Europe live
The parliament isn’t set to meet until late September to elect a new speaker, and then prime minister
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Reading the review reminds me of William Press' assessment of Hawking in his memoir:
paraphrased: Stephen was one of the dozen greatest physicists of the 20th century. Number 12 I like to think.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
We'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.
Culture Club vs Ad Astra, picture of the teams
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Is there anything worse than an AI assistant trying to be funny?
Text reads: Could you check if I had so I don’t send in a duplicate? (or, worse, [AI suggestion: duplicate])
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The best thing to use as an eclipse pinhole is, of course, the lid of a microwave rice cooker
Little images of the partial eclipse
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Breaking news: RFK Jr calls on people to stare directly at the eclipse. Calls solar eclipse glasses "vaccines for eyes".
Woman wearing eclipse glasses (borrowed from BBC live blog)
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
This 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.com
Jakob Ingebrigtsen returns from injury woe to win historic European 5,000m gold
Jakob 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
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Reposted by Paul McMillan
David Sloan @davesmaths.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Wonder if this will get the same level of media attention that other Cambridge news always seems to get.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Never let it be said that the people of BlueSky don't have their fingers on the pulse
Trending
1. Andy Burnham become UK Prime Minister
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Plenty of 'discoveries' that hold sentimental value in my career xkcd.com/3281/
xkcd.com
Antiques Roadshow
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
In case anyone was considering taking the flag campaign at their word, they were careful to also be awful in other ways
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Michael Merrifield @astromikemerri.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I 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. 🔭🧪
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I 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
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
If 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.com
Jodrell Bank Observatory facing closure after major funder cuts support
Scientists say decision is blow to UK astronomy as deep space observatory is home to world-leading facilities
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Prof 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.uk
PhD Projects and Application Process
Applications are open for a STFC funded PhD studentship for an Astrophysics project starting in October 2026.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Interesting idea. Start with wage theft by employers.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Tragic 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.
Final slide from Vikram's talk
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
This 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.uk
BBC Two - Only Connect, Series 22, Two Hearts v Ad Astra
A team keen on science fiction take on three fans of science fact.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Really 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.uk
BBC Two - Only Connect, Series 22, Culture Club v Makeweights
Three rowers take on a team of microbiologists to find connections between clues.
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Benjamin Benoit @benjaminbnt.fr · 02/07/2026
Sorry 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 😌
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I'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!"
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
An exciting moment. The LSST will be a deluge of data that will be fascinating to explore
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Attention 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!
Figure 4.2 from the IFS study linked
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
And 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.com
Frozen by the challenges of power: how Starmer turned triumph into tragedy
Starmer appeared ruthless in banishing the influence of Jeremy Corbyn, and winning power – but far less certain on how to wield it
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
🔭 I'm giving a webinar at 4:30pm today. Sign up here! 🔭
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Football. Bloody hell.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
hill 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.com
Micro-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?
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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... 🔭
Vasily Belokurov, Amina Helmi & Rodrigo Ibata
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Reposted by Paul McMillan
Meegan🌙 [Beegan🐝] @jovialstarfish.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Buffy: 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.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
For 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
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
This 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. 🧪🔭
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Some part of me needs one of these. Any chance I can claim it's for teaching?
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
I'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)! 🔭🎢
Artist's impression of the Milky Way with superimposed orbit (Credit: NASA/R. Hurt, adapted by me)
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
I 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...
Front page of the linked article
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
I'm on the downslope towards 50, and am not looking forward to becoming racist.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
A 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
My latest existential crisis comes from my four-year-old’s recent discovery of the existence of the solar system. And there’s a danger of severe nihilism when someone is explaining to you that the universe is almost 14 billion years old – can I really get exercised that Mikel Arteta can’t stay in his technical area when it’s 465C on Venus? On Jupiter there’s a storm the size of Earth that has been raging for 350 years with winds of over 400mph. You’d have to keep the ball on the deck in those conditions – perhaps it would be a leveller against Paris Saint-Germain. Go with the wind first half.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
In fairness the spectral type naming sequence makes about as much sense as the real one! ✨ (I'll concede that the repeated 'M' is worse)
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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
A picture of the Gaia spacecraft
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
When 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
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Sanity prevails for once.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I've seen where this leads. We're a few steps away from this guy:
Earthworm Jim cartoon
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Covid + 14 years of Conservative underfunding of the NHS = www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
People in UK spend fewer years in good health than a decade ago, study finds
Exclusive: Health Foundation says Britain is ‘going backwards’ compared with most other rich countries
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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/2604.18329
arxiv.org
From Gaia to GaiaNIR: II. A new view of the Milky Way bar
The 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...
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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.org
From Gaia to GaiaNIR: I. Probing dark matter halos in globular clusters
The 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...
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
The team captain had an amazing semi-final and final. Interesting to see what happens when you put astrophysicists on a TV quiz team! #AdAstra
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
My 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.
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Paul McMillan @mcmillan-astro.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
I don't think I know anyone who's entertained by it. I can think of lots of other descriptions first.
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