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Phil Benson

@physicistphil.bsky.social
408 followers 409 following 393 posts

Physicist with a penchant for politics and philosophy. And occasional amateur photographer and astrophotographer! Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/194710934@N05

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Phil Benson
Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Stop whatever you’re doing & watch this now! Reform’s magic money tree has been bust wide open. Huge kudos to undercover reporters Verbatim via @channel4news.bsky.social youtu.be/aXut3s90rUI?... huge
youtu.be
Undercover: Exposing Reform's secret donations plot
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Productive and fantastic visit to NEMO on St Vincent comes to a close! Hopefully we'll be back very soon!
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Lunar eclipse underway! taken from St Vincent. Seestar S30pro. #astrophotography
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South-East London for Europe (Selfe) @selfe.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
‘Brexit lies are exposed, the debate is settled… we must rejoin the EU’ – @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social This is searing stuff from Sadiq Khan, and his arguments for the UK to rejoin the EU are as clear and comprehensive as it gets. #RejoinEU #MayorOfLondon www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/sad...
thelondoneconomic.com
'Brexit lies are exposed, the debate is settled... we must rejoin the EU' - Sadiq Khan
This is searing stuff from Sadiq Khan, and his arguments for the UK to rejoin the EU are as clear and comprehensive as it gets.
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
The "Veil" Nebula: a supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus. 2h30m exposure taken from central Essex.
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Andrew Hesselden @andrewhesselden.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Mutual Freedom of Movement is supported by 84% of Brits yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/brexit/...
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
‘Mutual free movement’ for UK and EU citizens supported by 84% of Brits, in stunning new poll
Omnisis poll suggests opposition to free movement was based on lack of awareness and the UK government failing to enforce the rules
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Yes, Prime Minister lives on! Brilliant...
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Kate Littler @palaeoclimate.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
To hell with LLMs. It is fundamentally breaking the uni staff - student relationship, based on mutual trust & respect. Students, I want to be your instructor, your mentor, & a friendly presence. I don’t want to be locked in a perpetual arms-race where you try to cheat and I try to catch you 😞
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Reposted by Phil Benson
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 17/08/2026
My generation had no voice on Brexit – but Burnham gives the young fresh hope on Europe | Ceira Sergeant
theguardian.com
My generation had no voice on Brexit – but Burnham gives the young fresh hope on Europe | Ceira Sergeant
Brexit didn’t create all the problems young people now face, but renewing close ties with Europe will give us so many opportunities, says student and activist Ceira Sergeant
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Someone's playing with the toys I see! Guess this is the outcome of the cobra meeting....
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Here we go... all set for the eclipse from central london...
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Two galaxies: M91 (left) and M88 (right), part of the Virgo Cluster. Total exposure just 1h17m (8 Apr 2026); 540mm/F6 SM90 telescope, Atik Ex460 CCD camera, LRGB filters; Bortle 4/5 skies. Processed using the new free software tool “AstroWizard” from Lucomatico.
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Reposted by Phil Benson
Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Number crunching: Compensation Fujitsu has so far paid to victims of the Post Office scandal vs value of contract for police network software awarded to Fujitsu by the Home Office. From the latest Private Eye, out now.
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Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu · 07/08/2026
Europe always chooses science and partnership. Japan too. Japan is now officially associated with Horizon Europe. This means Japanese researchers and organisations can take part in the world's largest public research and innovation programme. Let's break new frontiers together.
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The Press Democrat @pressdemo.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
The Guatemalan Seismology Institute reported a lava fountain up to 1,000 feet high.
pressdemocrat.com
Guatemala is on alert and evacuates hundreds of villagers after eruption of the Fuego volcano
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Interesting article in @thenerve.news today. Is AI a waste of time? Are people pretending to use it to please the boss? I've long suspected it was over hyped maybe Cory Doctorow is on to something here? www.thenerve.news/p/cory-docto...
thenerve.news
Cory Doctorow: The people who tell you ‘AI is changing everything’ are lying
It has become impossible to tell managers mesmerised by artificial intelligence that the tools are not, in fact, helpful. So employees just play along with the fiction to keep their jobs, writes our t...
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
FYI Science Policy News: More U.S.-trained physicists are leaving the country, an exodus that adds to fears of a U.S. "brain drain" www.aip.org/fyi/physics-... a near-doubling of non-US citizens left the US after receiving their PhD, around 29%, in 2025 @aip.bsky.social
aip.org
Physics PhDs Are Leaving the US at a Record-high Rate
The exodus of non-US citizens has “certainly” been influenced by science funding and visa policy changes under Trump, a new AIP report says.
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
This is fantastic! And now, being a freelancer, I definitely don't miss being passed around, that's for sure!
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
3 Globular clusters and funeral... nope... wrong movie. Actually an open cluster and very much alive! Messier catalogue objects M2, M11, M12 and the open cluster M35. Taken 1/Jun, 20/Jul, 26/Jun, and 29 March respectively. My aim being to photograph the entire catalogue myself with my own kit...
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Reposted by Phil Benson
Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 30/07/2026
Here's a graph of global surface temperatures since 1940 by their decadal average. Notice any pattern?
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 28/07/2026
World-class Jodrell Bank is under threat and UK risks a physics brain drain
theguardian.com
World-class Jodrell Bank is under threat and UK risks a physics brain drain
Funding crisis could lead to an exodus that would be a blow for British science and national growth
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
So tragic and backwards-thinking. Abandoning a world class facility and something we do *really well* for what, exactly? Closing Jodrell = Huge mistake.
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
#StarsOnSunday 😎 The Dumbell Nebula, The Veil Nebula, and two versions of the Elephant's Trunk nebula - the wide angle version using a SeestarS30Pro smart 'scope that I recently bought and am playing with. All taken from my rooftop in Central London, around 2hours exposure each.
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Nolans The Odyssey about to start in the Leicester square Odeon.... Let's see if my @alexpodyssey.bsky.social training is up to the task!
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Crikey the QR crew are on fire these days: Sunday School, Midnight Mass extra on Mon/Tues, and now another Bonus Economy episode... Someone's angling for extra applause for the Live show? 😬😎
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Fantastic long read on the deficiencies of the UK higher education funding system from @johndavidblake.bsky.social. Summary: it's a mess! post18.co.uk/silence-of-t...
post18.co.uk
Silence of the Loans: How Loan Book Fictions Prevent Higher Education Reform
New thinking, ideas & policy solutions for post-18 education in the UK
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
This is rather good... www.youtube.com/watch?v=eurc... Need to see the film now!
youtube.com
Friend of the Show: Tom Holland Meets Tom Holland to Chat All Things The Odyssey
YouTube video by The Rest Is History
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Reposted by Phil Benson
THE NERVE @thenerve.news · 11/07/2026
Text card saying: "Burnham's constant quoting of a band rich in references to books, film and wider pop culture also stands him far apart from Farage. Farage said in a 2015 BBC interview that he was 'too busy' to read" writes Jude Rogers
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Dr David S Anderson @dsaarchaeology.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Original Tweet from @Mantia: What’s something that seems obvious within your profession, but the general public seems to misunderstand?

Quote tweet from @hwitteman: That $35 that scientific journals charge you to read a paper goes 100% to the publisher, 0% to the authors. If you just email us to ask for our papers, we are allowed to send them to you for free, and we will be genuinely delighted to do so.
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Naomi Smith @pimlicat.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
D Miliband ended his lecture tonight calling for AV (which is not a proportionate system) & endorses electoral reform. Which is baby steps in the right direction. Attitudes have changed markedly since 2011, just as they have since an even more recent referendum... www.arguably.uk/p/david-mili...
arguably.uk
David Miliband: how to end the democratic depression
We must take on the concentration of economic and political power in Westminster
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Bremain in Spain @bremaininspain.com · 07/07/2026
Labour, Lib Dems, Conservatives, The Greens, Restore, all say they will not play Farage’s game and join his circus. There is however an independent that we can all get behind. Count Binface! #CountBinfaceForClacton
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Nigel Farage vs "the establishment" He went to private school, worked as a stockbroker, has been a professional politician for 31 years, has his own TV show, is a brand ambassador for gold, is mates with POTUS, accepted a secret £5m gift, and owns five houses bought outright with cash What a rebel
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
"Emergency podcasts, sir. Thousands of 'em"
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Cornish Skipper #FBPE #RejoinEU 🇪🇺🔶🌹💚💙 @cornishskipper.wsocial.eu · 06/07/2026
“an almost-universal consensus that Brexit has been a disaster..majority of people now think this…nations have looked on in bafflement at the UK’s decision to shoot itself in the foot – or, as Finland’s president put it amputating your leg for no reason.” www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/us-...
thelondoneconomic.com
US media has just summed up 10 years of Brexit in one devastating clip
A devastating four-minute segment from CNN in the wake of Keir Starmer's resignation laid bare the idiocy of Brexit ten years on.
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
While UKRI ponders our fate it was deeply disappointing to see the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Royal Observatory MP responding to our concerns with "funding for STFC has not been cut". True, but flat-cash to cover rising UK facility electricity costs and inflation = cuts to physics and astronomy. #AnswerTheQuestion 😡🔭🧪
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CERN @cern.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
So long #LHC and thank you for all the collisions 👋 Today, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, comes to the end of an extraordinary chapter in its scientific journey. Find out more: home.cern/cern-bids-fa...
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Messier M42/43 “three ways” the classic standard Colour (RGB) palette, the “Hubble” palette (RGB=SHO) and the HOO palette. Total exposure 1h28m (1, 15, 21 March 2026); 540mm/F6 SM90 telescope, Atik Ex460 CCD camera, LRGB filters, PixInsight. #astrophotography
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
4 More globular clusters! Slowly getting through the backlog of processing for my "Messier Marathon". Here are M3, M5, M53 and M56. #astrophotography
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Globular cluster tastic! The nights being far too light for anything faint, these mighty objects (relatively close to us) are an easy spot. M92, M12, M14 and M13 (the great Hercules Cluster). Slowly getting through the backlog!
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 24/06/2026
Naomi Smith explains why the new research by Frontier Economics is crucial in shaping the debate around EU membership: "We've had lots of political figures calling for different kinds of relationships with the EU. We wanted to ensure that those debates were happening armed with actual numbers."
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Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
On the fateful decennial, I am reissuing this podcast episode with the wonderful @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social from @europeanmovement.co.uk about Rejoin. Not a naive, overnight or easy project, but one that needs planning and preparation. It's an uplifting listen! podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...
podcasts.apple.com
Behind the Lines Episode 13: The UK's Long March back to Europe?
Podcast Episode · Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell · 23 June · 1hr 2min
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Michael 🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇦💙 @michaeldenison49.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Why are #BBC News not covering this? Why have they always played down support for #RemainEU #RejoinEU
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TheNewDomShow @thenewdomshow.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
"Tell Jabba I'll get him his money..."
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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
A) This a properly brilliant piece of investigative journalism by BBC & @hopenot.bsky.social Huge kudos to all involved for doing the job the UK police & CPS failed to do: naming the alleged spymaster & clearly showing Kremlin’s role. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Russia was behind arson attacks targeting PM, BBC reveals
Evidence shows Russians directing the plot and stoking tensions with fake far-right and Muslim groups.
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Two versions of the "North American Nebula" taken Saturday night over central London. Around 1h15m of data, standard RGB (left) and HSO (right). Not sure which I prefer!
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Fully support @pimlicat.bsky.social's quest to become benevolent dictator 😜 Fun Sunday Factoid: One of the founders if the Python programming language was given the title "Benevolent Dictator for Life"
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Bernie Sanders 👏
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Messier M86, a giant elliptical galaxy between the constellations Leo and Virgo, 52m light years away. In this view, surrounded by a number of other galaxies - the head’ of the “Markarian’s Chain” including the “Eyes Galaxy” which has a twisted or disrupted appearance (left). Total exposure 6h31m.
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Phil Benson @physicistphil.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
....but which one is Merope ;-) [Pleiades photo taken from central London Jan 2024, around 2 hours exposure].
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