Eamonn Kerins
@eamonnkerins.bsky.social
Jodrell Bank astrophysicist and exoplanet scientist. Swimmer, cyclist, runner. Sometimes all three consecutively. Occasional BBC TV space pundit. Prone to career-threatening scicomm and fundraising activities. Own views. https://linktr.ee/eamonn_kerins
It's been a head-spinning week for many working at Jodrell Bank. Heart warming to see the huge outpouring of support. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on the Lovell telescope: budget cuts to physics are bad science and worse politics | Editorial
Editorial: Funders have picked a damaging fight with scientists and the public. They should reconsider their plans
theguardian.com
The UK science community as a whole should be concerned by the funding news around Jodrell Bank. Why? What other UK based facility carries as much scientific soft power with the public? What an own goal if we mothball something that connects the pubic so passionately to science. 🔭🧪
What we need from #UKRI right now aren't funding buckets, it's buckets of common sense. My views on the funding crisis for Jodrell Bank and other facilities on @bbc5live.bsky.social this afternoon: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... (around 1hr 46 into the show) 🔭🧪
5 Live Drive - 27/07/2026 - BBC Sounds
A round-up of the day's top news and sport with Clare McDonnell and Chris Warburton.
bbc.co.uk
Eamonn Kerins@eamonnkerins.bsky.social · last wk.There are facilities that do world leading science and there are facilities that inspire the young to dream big and pursue a career in science. The Lovell telescope does both like no other facility I can think of in the UK. I hope sense will prevail 🧪🔭 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
There are facilities that do world leading science and there are facilities that inspire the young to dream big and pursue a career in science. The Lovell telescope does both like no other facility I can think of in the UK. I hope sense will prevail 🧪🔭 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands
Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.
bbc.co.uk
I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands
Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.
bbc.co.uk
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 3w ago“What will the Lovell Telescope discover/enable 20 yrs from now? I can’t tell you, and that’s the point. It will either be something extraordinary that none of us can yet predict, or we will defund it and leave Cheshire with a rusting monument to unfulfilled potential and discoveries never made.” 🔭🧪
On display this morning, parliamentary scrutiny at its very best with @chionwurah.bsky.social and her committee questioning Secretary of State Liz Kendall about the STFC funding cuts. Worth watching in full, but here are some of the highlights! 1: Doctoring the minutes!
Wild to see the detail revealed by the #Euclid #Galactic Bulge Survey. Right side of the ESASKY image below shows a zoomed in edge of the EGBS area on the right, with adjoining Gaia DR3 data to the left. EGBS gives HST WFC3 level detail, but over an area 2000 larger! @eucliduk.bsky.social 🧪🔭
You've seen Euclid's dazzling image of the Milky Way’s crowded heart. Now explore it yourself. Zoom in, zoom out, go wherever your curiosity takes you 🤩 – in #ESAsky 👇 sky.esa.int/esasky/?targ... 🔭 🧪 ☄️
It also made it as the “bit of good news at the bottom” in today’s Guardian newsletter: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j... 😀
Thursday briefing: Why EU-Taliban talks have sparked outrage among Afghan women
In today’s newsletter: Amid rising anti‑immigration rhetoric across Europe, the decision to engage with the Taliban signals a profound shift in how the EU balances security and human rights
theguardian.com
On the left: a 2014 mock weather forecast on French channel TF1 for a day in August 2050, based on climate forecast models of the time. On the right: the ACTUAL TF1 weather forecast for yesterday. Now try to tell yourself that climate change isn't happening.
Proud of the team I led during 2023-2025 when this survey was designed and executed. Very grateful to my @ec-euclid.bsky.social and @esa.int colleagues for allowing us to do something a little different from Euclid's day-to-day work. youtu.be/2DtFRq1cgcc?... Sound on, and ideally use a 4k screen!
Euclid captures the Milky Way’s crowded heart
YouTube video by European Space Agency, ESA
youtu.be
🤩 Gorgeous image drop from @ec-euclid.bsky.social! 60 million stars = (roughly) >60 million exoplanets too.... Anyone else gazing at this image wondering what might be out there gazing back? 🤗 🥳 Huge congratulations to @science.esa.int and the whole Euclid team! 🧪🛰️🔭
ESA Space Science@science.esa.int · last mo.No less than 60 million stars in one image. It's possible thanks to ESA's Euclid mission. For just one day, Euclid turned its gaze to the crowded heart of the Milky Way and captured the largest, most detailed photo ever taken of our galaxy's centre in visible light. Let's dive deeper 👇 🔭 🧪 ☄️ 1/8
🚨 Clear space in your diary for 11:00 BST tomorrow… 🤩 #newimage
Just about recovered from last week's exertions at the #Bolton #Ironman 70.3. Struggled on the run with an IT Band flare up. Clearly need to work on strengthening and stretching the leg muscles. But an absolutely fab day and great atmosphere.
Eamonn Kerins@eamonnkerins.bsky.social · 2mo agoBike racked, transition bags dropped off, ankle chip collected. I've munched my way through several thousand calories of sugary carbs (my favourite part of the prep). Now to try and get a decent sleep before a 3:30am alarm. In the morning I'll be taking part in the #Bolton Half #Ironman.
Space projects running ahead of schedule? This is rare! Huge celebratory high-5's all round to the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team, due for early launch this August 🥳 This beast will discover >100,000 planets orbiting distant stars and so so much more 🤩🧪🔭🛰️ ℹ️: science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/...
We now have a firm date for the launch of Roman: August 30th. Can't wait to get to work. science.nasa.gov/mission/roma...
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope - NASA Science
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and astrophysics.
science.nasa.gov
Not bothered to find out the root to all these nested posts? Will issue.
Michael Merrifield@astromikemerri.bsky.social · 2mo agoNot one you are willing to die on? Hill issue.
#Triathlon day yesterday. The #Wilmslow Spring Triathlon. Entered the double sprint: 800m pool swim, 48 km bike leg and 13 km run. Got round and felt not too bad. A good snapshot for training towards the #Bolton half #Ironman in June and then an attempt at my first full Ironman in #Leeds in August.
Finally some clarity on the #STFC budget: it's falling in real terms as UKRI spending rises. A conscious decision has been made to decrease UK funding for fundamental physics, despite all the evidence that our blue skies research is key for economic growth. Thank you @resprofnews.bsky.social!
Robin Bisson@robinbisson.bsky.social · 4mo agoI think this says a lot about the pressure STFC is under: its budget will not have risen (in cash terms) between 2023 and 2030 Inflation is obviously going keep eroding that, and more so with the Iran war (Details of STFC budget figures over the spending review have not been published before now)
Just to crib Jan's great chart here a little bit - here are just a few of the headlines that came out when growth somewhat slowed in 2024 Many, many media outlets do not really know how to handle technological change like this
Jan Rosenow@janrosenow.bsky.social · 4mo ago12.7 million battery electric vehicles were sold globally in 2025. In 2010, the number was barely 10,000. In China, 1 in 2 new cars sold last year was electric. The transition is happening faster than almost anyone predicted.
I'm going to call it. On top of capturing the far side of the Moon, Earthshine on the far side, the solar corona (maybe some zodiacal light), Saturn, Mars and Mercury... this #artemis2 photo includes Neptune!! Just out of frame on the left were Venus and Earth. I mean, mind-blowing! 🧪🔭🚀🌙👩🚀
Eamonn Kerins@eamonnkerins.bsky.social · 4mo agoAnd for those wanting to know more about the region of space in the background, here's the image superimposed on top of a #stellarium view.
I'll be on the #BBCBreakfast sofa tomorrow morning at around 8:15 talking about all things #Artemis2. Nice to see the crew squeeze in some Galactic #Astrophotography as they journey home. #CarinaNebula #LMC #SpiralArms 🧪🔭🚀🌙👩🚀
And for those wanting to know more about the region of space in the background, here's the image superimposed on top of a #stellarium view.
Eamonn Kerins@eamonnkerins.bsky.social · 4mo agoWhat a view from #Artemis2. A solar eclipse by the Moon, with the outer solar corona surrounding the Moon's far side. The Earth-lit crescent of the Moon. Saturn (nearest to Moon), Mars and Mercury (farthest from Moon). A photo right up as one of the most stunning images of our solar system.
What a view from #Artemis2. A solar eclipse by the Moon, with the outer solar corona surrounding the Moon's far side. The Earth-lit crescent of the Moon. Saturn (nearest to Moon), Mars and Mercury (farthest from Moon). A photo right up as one of the most stunning images of our solar system.
Fossil fuel chaos is harming the planet and putting us out of pocket. I’m calling on the UK government to go all in on renewable energy. Add your name too: action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/bre...
Break the UK free from fossil fuel chaos
Take action Global oil and gas markets are volatile − driven by war, conflict and the interests of power-hungry leaders. Here in the UK, we’re still addicted to fossil fuels, leaving households expose...
action.friendsoftheearth.uk
