Nicholas Cross
wfastronomer.bsky.social
Nicholas Cross
@wfastronomer.bsky.social
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.
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Here is Trump's full 28 point plan for Ukraine. It would destroy Ukraine as a sovereign state and leave it helpless to face a Russian attack in the future. It would also give Putin full vindication and immunity from prosecution.
www.axios.com/2025/11/20/t...
Trump's full 28-point Ukraine-Russia peace plan
The full plan was obtained by Axios and verified by Ukrainian and U.S. officials.
www.axios.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Just to review, in the last week the President of the United States:

- Refused to condemn the rise of Neo-Nazis in his party
- Tried to block the release of further evidence he sexually abused children
- Encouraged the execution of Congressional Democrats

Those are just factual statements.
November 20, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
More signs Russian oil exports are sinking.

🔹Primorsk exports down 73% last week, in 3 tankers vs 9
🔹Ust-Luga down 40% vs last year
🔹Novorossiysk and Tuapse way down due to strikes
🔹Oil and gas revenue down 21% year-to-date, or 2 trillion rubles

Make Russia Broke Again.
November 21, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Gill is being sentenced today for 8 counts of bribery from a Russian agent.

Follow @thenerve.news for updates throughout the day.

This is why it matters & this is who it harmed: Ukrainian protestors outside the Old Bailey.
November 21, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
That whole US–Russia capitulation plan for Ukraine can go f*ck itself.
November 20, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
NEW: Police knew a Kremlin spy ring recruited former leader of Reform Wales at least 3 years ago.

So why was Nathan Gill not charged till Feb this year?

Pls read part 2 of @thenerve.news special investigation into Nathan Gill. And please share!
1/
October 18, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Just curious: what’s NATO doing? What’s Europe doing? We’re not planning to face all of this with hope and prayers, right? Or do people still believe war will never come to them?

Because Russia is industrialising its war.
The West still hasn’t industrialised its defence.
November 16, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Turning Bakhmut into lifeless ruins in 2023 cost Russia over 100k men and most of Wagner, their most effective assault forces.

Yet today, 30 months later, they're still clambering over their own corpses for the outskirts of Chasiv Yar 10 miles further up the road.

This isn't success. Cost matters.
November 16, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
This year, North Korea has more than halved its supply of ammunition to Russia and has been sending mostly outdated shells, as Pyongyang has exhausted its stockpiles, – GUR.
November 16, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Those were beautiful #aurorae in the past days. A solar storm brought a lot of protons to Earth. Not only to Earth but also to #ESAEuclid – but does #Euclid notice? Oh yes.

www.euclid-ec.org/here-comes-t...

#ESA #Sun #SpaceWeather #space
November 15, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Oo! Interesting #GravitationalWave candidate #S251112cm potentially from a *subsolar* mass source

If real, the source is probably has chirp mass ~0.1–0.87 solar masses

False alarm rate 1 in 6.2 yr
GraceDB gracedb.ligo.org/superevents/...
GCN gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42...
Rating 📏🍬

[🧪🔭⚛️]
November 12, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
This is rhetorically the most pro-building govt ever, but housebuilding has ground to a halt and Heathrow still expect their planning app to cost £800m to produce.

The problem is there's a massive gap between what Labour say they want and what they're doing.

www.samdumitriu.com/p/rhetoric-v...
Rhetoric vs. Reality
Slogans won’t get Britain building again
www.samdumitriu.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of France Fabien Mandon:

In the near term, Ukrainians need help - and what they need most is air defense, as they face numerous Russian attacks every week.

In just one week, Russia launches about 1,700 drones against Ukraine.
November 6, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
A very important article in @foreignaffairs.com The real sanctions hurting the Russian economy are the Ukrainian long-ranged sanctions on Russian oil refining and production. Unlike Trump's sham "sanctions", these are real ones which are taking a real toll. www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/slow-...
The Slow Death of Russian Oil
Why Ukraine’s campaign against Moscow’s energy sector is working.
www.foreignaffairs.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Oh look.

The thing that everyone with a smidgen of the smarts and common sense said was going to 100% happen ….. is 100% happening. 🤷🏼‍♂️
New: The FBI is quietly urging ICE agents to properly ID themselves in the field.

In a bulletin to law enforcement last month, it warned of criminals posing as ICE to rob, rape, kidnap—a problem it says now demands national coordination to confront.

By me & @carolinehaskins.bsky.social:
FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves
In a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, the FBI said criminal impersonators are exploiting ICE’s image and urged nationwide coordination to distinguish real operations from fakes.
www.wired.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Post the good news when you see it…
By studying the process through which a soil bacterium naturally produces a well-known drug, scientists have discovered a powerful antibiotic that could help to fight drug-resistant infections

go.nature.com/4hJ4d7K
Powerful new antibiotic that can kill superbugs discovered in soil bacteria
Nature - Surprise discovery could pave the way for new treatments against drug-resistant infections.
go.nature.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Jesus Christ. We go mad about one bloke we wrongly released, yet hear next to nothing about this horror? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
More than 50 child asylum seekers still missing after disappearing from Kent care
Council data obtained by the Guardian shows 345 children have gone missing in recent years, many probably taken by traffickers
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
The bright dots that look like all those stars are actually distant galaxies beyond our own.

The bubbles are old supernova remnant shells.

Orange represents the emissions from these explosions, while blue represents where stars are born.

Look at the centre of the Galaxy! (second image)

🔭
October 29, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Private Eye nailing it.
October 29, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
We are pleased to announce our discovery of #GW241011 and #GW241110

Both come from binary black holes where one black hole is much larger than the other. The larger black holes have large spin. Could these black holes have formed in a previous merger?

ligo.org/science-summ...

#O4IsHere 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
October 29, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
◾️ Andrii Tarasiuk: "They subjected us to 'electrotherapy days.'They electrocuted us for no reason."

◾️Danylo Murashkin:"There could be stones in the cup,some strange debris in the food,rat feces."

This is only a small part of the horrors that our Defenders have endured in Russian captivity
October 27, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Nothing on the BBC Radio news this morning. Nothing I could find on their website. This is an MP from the party whose lead in the opinion polls normally ensures them wall-to-wall coverage. She spouts racist nonsense for which even she feels obliged to apologise. What on earth are they playing at?
Reform’s Sarah Pochin forced to apologise after claiming adverts 'full of black people' drive her 'mad’ | LBC
The Runcorn and Helsby MP was responding to a viewer live on air who complained about the demographics of advertising.
www.lbc.co.uk
October 26, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
On a deadly serious note, the President cannot rely on external, private sources to fund spending as an end-run around Congress’ constitutional power of the purse. If he can, we no longer have a republic.
October 25, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
A lot of folks may think that just yelling at ICE agents is ineffective, but consider the cumulative psychological toll of being yelled at EVERY DAY when trying to do shit. Even the biggest asshole in the world who doesn't give a shit about other people will feel the pressure.
More from the scene
October 25, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Cross
Replying to @AGPamBondi @RepRobertGarcia

TRUMP PARD0NED THE ANIMALS

WHO ASSAULTED THIS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
October 22, 2025 at 9:17 PM