Darren Spain

Kudos to the @ehtelescope team for giving humanity our first complete image of the centre of our galaxy. The Milky Way black hole Sagittarius A* is the size of Mercury's orbit. #SgrABlackHole Press Release: eventhorizontelescope.org/blog/astronome… Live Press Conference: youtu.be/rIQLA6lo6R0

The @Space_Station rarely makes big changes to its orientation, but we were lucky to experience such maneuvers (flipping around to fly butt-first, then flipping back again) before and after each @spacex CRS-33 reboost. This 60x speed timelapse was one of my favorites since it captures a little of everything - sunset, lightning storms, air glow, moon glint, stars, and sunrise - as we did one (actually very slow) orbital cartwheel from Atlantic to Pacific.

1/ The potential Mars Settlement has been narrowed down by @elonmusk to 7 locations on Arcadia Planitia Region first identified at LPSC-21 in the attached paper. In this thread I will go into depth on what we know and how you can research these sites. hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2…

♦️رسالة إلى الشعب الإماراتي الأصيل واركز على كلمة (الأصيل) ولكل عقلية واعية تدرك الحقائق والوقائع بصورتها الصحيحة وليست بتلك السرديات التي يتم تغييب بها الرأي العام في الامارات من قبل نظام ابوظبي. ♦️أيها الأشقاء في الإمارات، من قلب السودان، نبعث إليكم رسالة محبة صادقة ممزوجة بلهجة شعبية ودبلوماسية قوية. نحن السودانيون نحبكم ونجلّكم، نحب الشعب الإماراتي الأصيل الذي عرفناه بالكرم والشهامة والوفاء و عايشناه من زمن زايد الخير الله يرحمه، ونعتبره جزءاً من نسيجنا العربي والإسلامي المشترك. هذه المحبة ليست مجاملة، بل هي امتداد طبيعي لعلاقات الأخوة التي لا تهزها العواصف ولا تغيرها السياسات. ♦️لكننا نقولها بوضوح وبصوت قوي: ممارسات حكومة أبوظبي هي ما تجعلنا نهاجمها دائماً ونرفض تدخلاتها في شؤون السودان. استمرار تمويلها لمليشيا "الدعم السريع" التي قتلت الأبرياء وانتهكت الأعراض وسرقة ثرواتنا، هو جرح غائر في وجدان السودانيين، ولا يمكن السكوت عنه. هذه السياسات لا تمثل الشعب الإماراتي الأصيل، بل تعكس توجهات رسمية منفصلة عن قيم الشعوب العربية التي ترفض الظلم وتدعم الحق. ♦️يا أهل الإمارات الطيبين، نحن نعلم أنكم لا ترضون بالظلم، ولا تقبلون أن يُستغل اسمكم في دعم من يفتك بالشعوب. رسالتنا لكم أن محبتنا لكم باقية، لكن رفضنا للسياسات التي أضرت ببلادنا أقوى من أن يُتجاهل. ♦️نحن السودانيون نقولها بلسان شعبي بسيط: "الزول السوداني ما بكره أخوه، لكن ما بقبل الظلم على أهله." ونقولها بلسان دبلوماسي رسمي: السودان يطالب بعلاقات قائمة على الاحترام المتبادل، بعيداً عن التدخلات وسياسات #حكومة_ابوظبي التي تزرع الفتنة وتدعم العنف. ♦️لن أتوقف عن مهاجمة حكومة أبوظبي سياسياً حتى تكف عن دعمها وتمويلها لمليشيا "الدعم السريع" التي ارتكبت أبشع الجرائم بحق الشعب السوداني. هذا الموقف ليس عداءً للشعب الإماراتي الأصيل الذي نكن له كل المحبة والاحترام، بل هو رفض واضح وصريح لسياسات رسمية أضرت ببلادنا وزادت من معاناة أهلنا. ♦️إن استمرار تدخلات أبوظبي في الشأن السوداني عبر تمويل وتسليح المليشيات، هو السبب المباشر في إصراري على فضح هذه الممارسات ومهاجمتها بلا هوادة بكل الطرق فالسودان لا يقبل أن تُباع دماء أبنائه في صفقات سياسية، ولا أن يُستغل ضعف المرحلة لفرض أجندات خارجية. ♦️رسالتي واضحة: الهجوم ضد #نظام_ابوظبي سيستمر ما دام التمويل مستمراً، ولن يتوقف صوتي حتى تتوقف #ابوظبي عن دعم من يقتل السودانيين ويشردهم. فالمعركة ليست ضد الشعوب، بل ضد السياسات التي تهدد وجودنا وكرامتنا. ♦️ختاماً، رسالتنا هي دعوة صريحة: لنُبْقِ على المحبة بين الشعوب، ولنرفض السياسات التي تفرقنا. فالشعوب تبقى، والسياسات تزول. 🤝 #الامارات #السودان

So cool. If you zoom in on the upper right, you see a little crescent. That's the Martian moon Phobos. Zoom in again and you'll see a star next to Phobos. That's Earth! Seen from Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover. science.nasa.gov/photojournal/c…

Bill Kristol and General Mark Hertling discuss the wave of senior military officers forced out under Trump and growing signs of unlawful or politically driven military actions that threaten alliances, strategy, and the rule of law. thebulwark.com/p/why-is-the-t…

History shows military purges driven by politics rather than performance weakens a nation. Read this article. If this purge is of Generals & Admirals more loyal to the US Constitution than to Trump then the consequences are dire for US citizens & all remaining allied nations.

‘Those who have leverage over the UAE, and therefore the RSF, but allow the violence to pass without urgent action or pressure have blood on their hands. The majority of El Fasher’s population is trapped in a killing field.’

For Sudanese trapped inside a brutal war, the Emergency Response Rooms, a community aid network, is a vital lifeline. Devastated by American aid cuts, the Sudanese responders press on - and are a deserved favorite for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. nytimes.com/2025/04/19/wor…

Comet Lemmon is starting to look gorgeous! I took this photo this morning of the comet

Science Release: Motion of Planet-Forming Spirals Captured on Video ALMA has captured the motion of spirals of dust around a young star. This provides new evidence for planet formation. The results could have implications for other young stars as well. nao.ac.jp/en/news/scienc…

@grok @krassenstein Give me three examples prior to 1945 during which safe haven-status was also a factor.

Yes, examples exist, often due to safe-haven status or trade surpluses despite loose policies: 1. 1970s Swiss Franc: SNB's interventions to curb appreciation inflated money supply (inflation peaked 9.8% '74), yet CHF strengthened ~150% vs USD (4.3 to 1.7) via capital inflows. 2. 1970s Japanese Yen: Post-oil shock inflation hit 24% '74 amid easing; Yen rose from ~360 to 210 vs USD by '78 on exports. 3. 1970s Deutsche Mark: Inflation ~7% '73-74; DM appreciated from 3.66 to 1.96 vs USD on economic strength.

HOLY CRAP! This is Really bad for Inflation: The US PPI numbers are out and they're MUCH higher than expected! Headline PPI YoY: 3.3% (exp 2.5%, prev 2.3%). Now let me explain why this is so terrible for inflation. PPI = Producer Price Index. It's basically the wholesale price of goods. CPI (Consumer Price Index) The common gauge for inflation, usually lags PPI by 1-6 months. (Approximately 2 months for groceries, approximately 3-6 months for manufactured goods). This means that in 2 Months it is VERY LIKELY that Inflation will spike significantly as producers pass prices onto consumers.

@grok @krassenstein @grok in addition to your example of the USA 1971-1979, give me two other examples from before 1982 of when any government's inflationary policy during a period of sustained inflation coincided with a sustained weaker currency.

1. 1971-1979: Fed's loose policy under Burns amid Great Inflation (up to 13%) led to sustained USD depreciation, e.g., vs. DEM from 3.2 to 1.8. 2. 2002-2008: Post-dot-com rate cuts to 1% spurred inflation (to 5.5%) and USD weakening, DXY fell 40% from 120 to 72. 3. 2020-2021: COVID-era QE and zero rates drove inflation to 7%+, USD DXY dropped 13% from 103 to 89.

@grok @krassenstein @grok Are there are any examples before 1982 of when a government's inflationary policy during a period of sustained inflation coincided with a strong currency?

1. 2021: Amid Fed's zero rates & QE, CPI hit 7%, DXY rose ~7% (89 to 96) in H2 due to strong US recovery attracting capital despite loose policy. 2. 2011: Post-QE2, inflation ~3.5-3.9%, DXY climbed 10% (73 to 80) in late 2011 as Eurozone crisis boosted USD safe-haven demand. 3. 2008: Early crisis rate cuts & QE onset, inflation peaked at 5.6%, DXY surged 23% (72 to 89) Jul '08-Mar '09 via flight to safety.

@grok @krassenstein @grok provide me with three dates and examples of when loose US monetary policy in an inflationary environment lead to a sustained stronger USD

@grok @krassenstein @grok provide me with three dates and examples of when loose US monetary policy in an inflationary environment lead to a sustained weaker USD

@grok @krassenstein @grok How could loose US monetary policy and a steepening US yield curve (rising long-term rates) lead to higher global commodity prices?

US inflationary policy (loose money) and a steepening yield curve (rising long-term rates) could export inflation to the UK via higher global commodity prices and a potentially weaker GBP if USD strengthens. This may prompt the Bank of England to raise interest rates to combat imported inflation and stabilize the currency.

July 20, 1969. “Contact light, engine stop.” The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle touched down at Tranquility Base on the Moon. A few hours later, Neil Armstrong and I stepped foot on the Moon, with Michael Collins orbiting close-by. An achievement resulting from years of incalculable effort, commitment, and team work. We all did our part to see President Kennedy’s words become reality: “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others too.” I couldn’t be prouder to have completed this mission with the hundreds of thousands of people that helped get us to the moon and back home. God bless the USA and all of humankind.

For the first time, astronomers have caught the birth of a brand-new solar system! Using both the ALMA telescope and JWST, scientists captured a stunning image of HOPS-315, a baby star about 1,300 light-years away that is just beginning to form planets. It is essentially a snapshot of a solar system being born, offering a unique glimpse of what our own Solar System might have looked like in its earliest days. So, how do we know this is the beginning? In our own Solar System, the first solid materials to form (the earliest building blocks of planets) are found inside ancient meteorites. These tiny rocks contain special minerals that only form at extremely high temperatures, like those near a young star. One of those minerals is made from silicon monoxide (SiO), which starts out as gas and eventually turns into solid crystals. Here is the amazing part. Scientists have now seen that same process happening around HOPS-315. They have detected silicon monoxide both as gas and as crystals, which means they have caught it in the act of turning solid. This is the first time this early stage of planet-building has ever been observed outside our own Solar System. In other words, the clock just started ticking for HOPS-315, and we are witnessing the beginning of worlds. 📷 1: ALMA image of HOPS-315 Together with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), these observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify. In orange we see the distribution of carbon monoxide, blowing away from the star in a butterfly-shaped wind. In blue we see a narrow jet of silicon monoxide, also beaming away from the star. These gaseous winds and jets are common around baby stars like HOPS-315. ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al. 📷 2: This image shows jets of silicon monoxide (SiO) blowing away from the baby star HOPS-315. The blue jet is moving towards us, and the red one is moving away. ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al.

The Emirati sheikh is best known as the owner of a top British soccer team. But behind the scenes, he is the “handler” guiding secret wars in Sudan and elsewhere. With @tariqpanja nytimes.com/2025/06/29/wor…

Following India & China's deal last Oct on patrolling their disputed frontier to end a four-year military stand-off, this phrase "permanent solution" is significant because in the past India has generally used phrases like "seeking an early resolution to the dispute".