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Nicholas Cross

@wfastronomer.bsky.social
330 followers 213 following 645 posts

Astronomer, survey data processor. Works in the Wide Field Astronomy Unit at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh. Working on WFCAM/VISTA Science Archives and ESA-Euclid. Runner.

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Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Zelensky’s approval rating with AMERICANS is already higher than Trump’s. And my guess is the gap will become even bigger. Zelensky here speaking bravely and clearly (both factually and morally)
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Maria Drutska @mariadrutska.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
But not Putin? Who has been reducing entire Ukrainian cities to rubble and killing innocent civilians every single day for years? THAT hasn’t gone too far?
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Aster Vérité @aster-verite.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Dear Ukraine, do not stop, accelerate. The only way to respond to bullies is to thumb your nose at them.
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Maria Drutska @mariadrutska.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Oh yes, sure, let's worry about Trump's midterms and not defend ourselves against russia's repeated attacks on our energy infrastructure for almost 5 years lol gtfo you orange f*ck don't you have any more casinos to bankrupt or Epstein files to hide?
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MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
I never thought I would write this… but she is absolutely right 👍
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Jim 🔥 @jim.chat · 10/10/2026
Just thinking out-loud here but, if Russia halted its illegal invasion, maybe Ukraine would stop bombing the refineries?
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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854
Taxing Entrepreneurial Wealth: Evidence from
Norway, 2021-2025
Marius A. K. Ring
WORKING PAPER 35854|
DOl 10.3386/w35854
ISSUE DATE October 2026
Whether imposing higher taxes on business owners adversely affects business activity by constraining investment and inducing capitalist flight is a central question in the ongoing debate on how to tax the ultra wealthy. To shed new light, I exploit a series of related Norwegian reforms during 2021-2024 that increased dividend tax rates, removed migration-related capital gains tax loopholes, and nearly doubled the effective marginal tax rate on business wealth. These reforms spurred international debate and, allegedly, an "exodus" of Norwegian billionaires (Financial Times,
2023). While I document clear effects on migration, these responses are concentrated among the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution and mostly confined to 2022 and 2023. My results indicate that at most 100 individuals left due to the reforms. I find no evidence of significant outmigration or reduced inflows of startup founders or inventors. I estimate that absent any outmigration, wealth tax revenues would have increased by 75% from 2021 to 2024. Reform-driven outmigration lowers the revenue gain to 71.5%. My findings further show that outmigrating owners' firms remain economically active and do not reduce investment. In a broader set of analyses, I examine whether business outcomes are affected, regardless of whether owners outmigrate, since firms may reduce investment both due to liquidity constraints or distortions to owners' savings decisions. I compare firms owned by Norwegian individuals subject to the wealth tax with firms owned by foreigners and other tax-exempt entities. By merging historical ownership data from Orbis with the Norwegian shareholder register, I perform these analyses on both Norwegian and foreign-domiciled firms.
Across settings, I find no evidence that Norwegian-owned firms pay out more dividends or invest less after the reforms,…
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Nicholas Cross @wfastronomer.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Guy who harms global markets by stupidity attacking and then failing to beat Iran 10 times blames country holding out against invasion.
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Nicholas Cross @wfastronomer.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Because this loser never had control of anything outside of America. He is all mouth, which is a winning strategy in US politics, but fails more widely.
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MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
❗️🇺🇦 Operation Vivaldi is even more successful than Kyiv officially reports: Ukrainian troops foiled Russia's plan to encircle Donbas, — Euronews + maps from ISW 📍Ukrainian forces foiled Russia's plan to seize the rest of the Ukrainian-controlled territory of Donetsk region this year.
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Maybe the most amazing aspect of the Russo-Ukraine War is that Russia is getting backing from both China and the USA, the two largest powers of the moment--and Ukraine could still emerge triumphant as long as Europe backs it stoutly.
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Maria Drutska @mariadrutska.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Putin has bought Trump with Russian diesel. Just before the US elections. Meanwhile, Russia keeps killing our children while they sleep at night. So Americans are now funding Russia’s war machine? I’m sorry, guys, but WHAT A FUCKING DISGRACE.
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Darth Putin @darthputinkgb.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Donald has lifted sanctions on Russian diesel. We will use the money to help Iran. Who are fighting the USA. Donald is paying us to help kill American soldiers.
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Nicholas Cross @wfastronomer.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A terrible decision by Trump.
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MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
👀🇺🇦❗️ 97% of jet Shaheds launched by Russia were destroyed today, - monitoring channels
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Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
1/26 In August 1942, an island was weeks from surrender, and everything depended on one tanker. She was torpedoed, bombed, had two aircraft crash onto her, broke her back, was abandoned twice, and arrived with her decks awash, lashed between two destroyers. The SS Ohio. A🧵 #maritimehistory
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Reform want to indoctrinate our children. Freedom of (and from) belief is a human right. humanists.uk/2026/09/10/s...
humanists.uk
Reform UK Braverman promises 'consequences' if pupils don't sing hymns
Reform UK has said schools will face ‘consequences’ if they fail to make pupils regularly sing hymns and the national anthem under a Reform government. The party’s education spokesperson, Suella Brave...
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 28/09/2026
Remember, Jenrick is not stupid. He's a trained lawyer, he knows the difference between police and court bail. He's just a turd.
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Disillusioned With Conservatives @neverevertory.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Police specifically told everyone not to speculate on the incident at RAF Fairford. So what does the moron Farage go & do? Post on X speculating.
Post from Nigel Farage on X
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Circ @tinyicecat.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This news is important because all the fucks out there actively attempting to wreck the world want you to think that the work is hopeless and just mitigating the worst case scenario. It's not. Fucking keep going.
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Liar. Small boat crossings peaked under Johnson in 2022 reaching 46,000 in 2022. In current year they are 18,565 and falling. Also prior to Boris Johnson's Brexit there were none.
It's a disaster, and it can all be traced to
Labour ideology. Burnham has no mandate
from the people. He has no real ideas, and
no plan,

Johnson on X
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Progress www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Six arrested after anti-migrant protest at Gosport marina
Heeding calls from far-right activist Daniel Thomas, hundreds of protesters turned out in Hampshire
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 23/09/2026
I think once black clad men are interfering with rescues at sea, we are past "legitimate concerns". Once they're attacking boats, and risking the lives of everyone on board, it's just thuggery. The Home Secretary's statement is on the side of criminals. There's no other way to read it.
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Cllr Dr Alex Powell @apowelllaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Oh, and also, Section 1 of the Terrorism Act defines Terrorism as an action which (amongst others) "involves serious damage to property" and/or "endangers a person's life" and the action is for the purpose of advancing a political cause. Ergo, this is terrorism by definition of UK law.
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Cllr Dr Alex Powell @apowelllaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So, just to be clear, Daniel Thomas was: 1- Carrying a knife contrary to section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 2- Used that knife to commit criminal damage (Criminal Damage act 1971) 3- likely engaged in the criminal offense of endangering Life at Sea (Merchant Shipping Act 1995)
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Just as well those committing wrongs against the RNLI are not holding placards supporting a proscribed organisation, else they would really be in trouble.
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Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The complete and total collapse of state function in the face of far right extremists. It is frankly ludicrous that Daniel Thomas continues to be at large given the series of crimes committed which he has literally filmed.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
With the midterm elections shaping up to be a massive reckoning for the Republican Party, it's worth remembering that they had a fairly easy offramp from Trumpism in the immediate aftermath of the January 6th riot but they completely chickened out.
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Richard Corbett CBE @richardcorbett.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Just 4 months after the local elections, Reform UK (RefUK) have lost 158 of their local councillors: -55 resigned -42 went Independent -28 defected -24 were kicked out -5 lost their seats -2 disqualified -2 suspended. Appalling record - and a waste of taxpayers’ money!
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15/09/2026
“As a result of exquisite planning by our orbital dynamics team, brilliant execution by the operations team, and a precise launch from SpaceX, Roman has fuel for at least 22 years of potential science operations,” said Jamie Dunn, center director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. #NASARoman 🔭
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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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15/09/2026
#NASARoman activated the Wide Field Instrument—a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will allow it to explore wide swaths of the cosmos quickly. This test image captures the very first photons of starlight to reach the instrument—taken as an initial performance assessment: go.nasa.gov/4rg4qEc
At the top, a grid of 21 panels shows a series of blue images with tiny neon green and yellow circles. A larger image highlights a section of the grid with circular patterns, and an inset presents a detailed star-like diffraction pattern. The colors consist of blue, green, and yellow.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.
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Gavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The RNLI is the best of us. Any Blackshorts who think volunteers saving lives at sea are somehow bad people is at best an sad idiot and a dupe. At worst …. (Suggestions welcome)
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 10/09/2026
What is this comment from the Labour MP? No, the issue here isn't that the attempted pogrom had the wrong targets!
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Paul Russell @pwrussell.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
You must be familiar with P G Wodehouse’s famous Black Shorts. But they were meant to be satire. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderic...
en.wikipedia.org
Roderick Spode - Wikipedia
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 09/09/2026
Also, why is this basically written up as "quirky crowd make an embarrassing mistake" and not "violent racists form mob because Asian people use hotel"?
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Charles Fourier @charlesfourier.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Bill Bryson’s words seem appropriate to post right now
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"These are red flags about how Reform might govern if it got into power - state capture rarely starts with contracts changing hands, it starts with rules and regulations being treated as optional." Must read from @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social democracyforsale.substack.com/p/reforms-un...
democracyforsale.substack.com
Reform’s undercover donations pave road to state capture
By making rule-breaking a selling point, Reform is signalling it's open for influence trading, says anti-corruption expert Liz David-Barrett.
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Philip Obaji Jr. @philipobaji.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Russia is engineering a migration crisis for Europe via the West African. Disinfo on local radio & media pushes desperate people north through Niger toward Libya. Wagner trucks move migrants to smugglers; their militias then help load boats across the Mediterranean. Time to act.
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Dan Kaszeta FRHistS @dankaszeta.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
People just don’t give a shit about chemical warfare in Sudan. I find it troubling
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Peter Coles 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇮🇪 @telescoper.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
A Reprieve for Jodrell Bank? And if £2.8M is found to keep e-MERLIN going without changing the overall STFC budget, then the axe will just fall elsewhere in STFC. Jodrell Bank is a special site with special arguments for keeping it open, but other targets can no doubt be found that are equally…
telescoper.blog
A Reprieve for Jodrell Bank?
And if £2.8M is found to keep e-MERLIN going without changing the overall STFC budget, then the axe will just fall elsewhere in STFC. Jodrell Bank is a special site with special arguments for keeping it open, but other targets can no doubt be found that are equally excellent from a scientific point of view, but can't mobilize political forces to mount such a strong defence.
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Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
An appalling and deeply cynical statement by a war criminal. Putin's adviser Kobyakov: Only Russia can save Ukraine - by colonizing it and resettling Russians there.
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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
At what point does a British by-election get awarded to the silver medalist, à la Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis? Asking for a friend of a friend, i.e. me. #Clacton
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I can't remember a clearer smoking gun than that Channel 4 News footage. Nigel Farage and his senior aides all filmed discussing apparent plans to break the law by funnelling foreign money into British politics, plans which at least partly went ahead. A criminal investigation surely must follow
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:
channel4news.substack.com
Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.
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Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Good start. Next up, realising that the penny pinching cuts are killing twenty more projects in astronomy, often for tiny amounts. The fix is simple…and cheap.
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
The Roman Space Telescope is complementary to ESA's Euclid mission, which was launched in 2023. Euclid has twice as many pixels in its camera and will cover a broader area of sky, but Roman's bigger mirror will let it see fainter galaxies.
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Eamonn Kerins @eamonnkerins.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
It's not a great feeling to see 15 years of work (and many more years of work by Goddard engineers) sitting on top of a great big bomb. But it feels utterly amazing to see it break free from the bonds of Earth and head off to its permanent home. #RomanLaunch 🚀🔭🧪 (picture credit: Kate Kerins)
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
All fingers and toes tightly crossed at this end for a successful launch. Go Roman!!! Launch time 11:20 UK: plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-vi... Live stream 🍿: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wq3...
plus.nasa.gov
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launch
Watch the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is equipped with tools to detect and study exoplanets orbiting distant stars.
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