Yes, the balloon at 40,000ft is a big issue, mostly because it can be seen by members of the public. But don’t forget that the USA, Russia, China, Japan, the EU and a host of private companies worldwide have satellites in Low Earth Orbit that can see a lot more. China urges calm over 'spy' balloon in US airspace https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64521570

If the BBC really has filmed five different endings for Sunday’s Happy Valley finale then they could run the series for another four weeks with the other endings #happyvalley

Excellent revenue-to-profit chart from Tesla, a clear format that others would benefit from

Applications for the European Space Agency's Young Graduate Trainee Programme for Master's degree graduates are now open for the 2023 intake. I can highly recommend this programme (even though I've retire from ESA). See the full list and apply at the link below. One piece of advice - read the instructions carefully and make sure that you fully comply. https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/ESA_YGT_applications_now_open

For educators everywhere…

We have a near-miss event just after midnight tonight when an asteroid will pass 3,600km above the Earth's surface (about one-quarter of the Earth's diameter, which is very close in galactic terms). It's 6m across so if it were to hit us it wouldn't be an extinction level event, just a very big explosion, but the worrying thing is that it was only discovered last weekend. Good coverage by the BBC at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64411469

A new opportunity for UK companies to apply for UK Space Agency funding of satellite communications projects through the ESA ARTES programme has been published today, with a total of £50 million available https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-space-agency-announces-50-million-for-satellite-communications

Just booked parking at Gatwick airport, and this was the pop-up on the last page. Read the highlighted part and do not be caught by this (at this stage they already have your credit card details) #gatwickairport

I wish I was earning enough to need to pay £3 million in tax, let alone forget to pay it

Actually, we’ve checked and it’s not flat. Also, I’ve been to Australia four times. https://blog.physics-astronomy.com/2022/11/flat-earthers-claim-australia-doesnt.html