Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
@astrothayne.bsky.social
Astrophysicist at Subaru Telescope/U. Texas. Exoplanets, Direct Imaging. Empiricist. Likes scientific rigor. Fan of his golden retriever and peer review.
https://subarutelescope.org/staff/currie/
https://subarutelescope.org/staff/currie/
This definitely is one of this alt universes from the TNG episode "Parallels".
These are hard words to type, but: Lauren Boebert is right.
November 13, 2025 at 12:21 AM
This definitely is one of this alt universes from the TNG episode "Parallels".
www.civilbeat.org/2025/11/thir...
The big question is whether they could do the permitting rapidly. OTOH, I absolutely know some Hawaiian activists currently opposed to TMT who would accept it on a recycled site (e.g. CSO?). Glad to see Gov. Green supportive of TMT. Worth exploring.
The big question is whether they could do the permitting rapidly. OTOH, I absolutely know some Hawaiian activists currently opposed to TMT who would accept it on a recycled site (e.g. CSO?). Glad to see Gov. Green supportive of TMT. Worth exploring.
Thirty Meter Telescope Planners Consider Other Sites On Mauna Kea
Gov. Josh Green pledges to help with the permitting process for sites where old telescopes have been decommissioned.
www.civilbeat.org
November 12, 2025 at 6:39 PM
www.civilbeat.org/2025/11/thir...
The big question is whether they could do the permitting rapidly. OTOH, I absolutely know some Hawaiian activists currently opposed to TMT who would accept it on a recycled site (e.g. CSO?). Glad to see Gov. Green supportive of TMT. Worth exploring.
The big question is whether they could do the permitting rapidly. OTOH, I absolutely know some Hawaiian activists currently opposed to TMT who would accept it on a recycled site (e.g. CSO?). Glad to see Gov. Green supportive of TMT. Worth exploring.
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
One day the universe will contain only dark energy and JWST proposals.
STScI received a total of 2,935 #JWST proposals requesting almost 101,751 hours of observing time for GO, Survey, Pure Parallel, Archival Research, Target of Opportunity, and Joint programs, with an oversubscription rate of 13:1. Get the details: ow.ly/Fmiq50Xqy9Q
November 12, 2025 at 4:24 PM
One day the universe will contain only dark energy and JWST proposals.
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
Lowell Observatory slashes research funding in the midst of financial struggle
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
Arvo Part -- still alive, and still composing as of 5 years ago -- belongs in any list of the greatest composers in recorded history. Worth mentioning alongside Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven.
November 2, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Arvo Part -- still alive, and still composing as of 5 years ago -- belongs in any list of the greatest composers in recorded history. Worth mentioning alongside Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven.
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
Missed this at the time (busy w/shutdown stuff), but on Sept. 30 NSF dropped its appeal for the 15% indirect cost case. The AAU is now suing NSF to recoup ~330,000 in legal fees.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
October 31, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Missed this at the time (busy w/shutdown stuff), but on Sept. 30 NSF dropped its appeal for the 15% indirect cost case. The AAU is now suing NSF to recoup ~330,000 in legal fees.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Knickers
Change one letter, ruin a candy.
Twig
Twig
Change one letter, ruin a candy.
Starwurst
Starwurst
October 30, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Knickers
ECR astro pro tip: a well maintained bibliography file *ordered alphabetically* will save you from many headaches in the future ;)
October 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
ECR astro pro tip: a well maintained bibliography file *ordered alphabetically* will save you from many headaches in the future ;)
"Avi Loeb and the Mystics" ... didn't they open for Nickelback once?
October 28, 2025 at 7:47 PM
"Avi Loeb and the Mystics" ... didn't they open for Nickelback once?
much more elegant than Hubble's devouring of corn on the cob yesterday.
This is Herman. He learned how to eat corn on the cob today. And within 11 seconds, he became an expert. 13/10 (TT: devonjohnson07)
October 21, 2025 at 9:59 PM
much more elegant than Hubble's devouring of corn on the cob yesterday.
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
Encourage a student to register for the astropy workshop! 🔭 #astrocode
Register yourself or a student for the 'Python and Astropy for Astronomical Data Analysis' workshop at @aas.org on January 4, 2026. 🔭 #aas247 #astrocode
You'll get a broad overview of the astropy functionality that powers astronomy, taught by the @astropy.org team.
github.com/astropy/astr...
You'll get a broad overview of the astropy functionality that powers astronomy, taught by the @astropy.org team.
github.com/astropy/astr...
October 21, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Encourage a student to register for the astropy workshop! 🔭 #astrocode
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
University of Arizona now also rejects, albeit in a very conciliatory manner. No comments about academic freedom, just concern that preferential treatment by the government would be anti-merit.
7 out of the 9 initially contacted universities have now said no.
president.arizona.edu/sites/defaul...
7 out of the 9 initially contacted universities have now said no.
president.arizona.edu/sites/defaul...
October 20, 2025 at 9:12 PM
University of Arizona now also rejects, albeit in a very conciliatory manner. No comments about academic freedom, just concern that preferential treatment by the government would be anti-merit.
7 out of the 9 initially contacted universities have now said no.
president.arizona.edu/sites/defaul...
7 out of the 9 initially contacted universities have now said no.
president.arizona.edu/sites/defaul...
Seeing the discourse right now in the high-contrast imaging community about the JWST oversubscription rate confirms to me that the decision to skip JWST entirely as a PI yet again was the right one. :)
October 17, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Seeing the discourse right now in the high-contrast imaging community about the JWST oversubscription rate confirms to me that the decision to skip JWST entirely as a PI yet again was the right one. :)
Happy JWST deadline day to those who celebrate. For me, it will be the 4th cycle in a row I've blown past as a PI because of "xyzabc" yet again.
I have a bunch of workable ideas: some of which I think are really interesting. Maybe Cycle 6 ... or maybe I can donate a few of these to an eager ECR
I have a bunch of workable ideas: some of which I think are really interesting. Maybe Cycle 6 ... or maybe I can donate a few of these to an eager ECR
October 15, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Happy JWST deadline day to those who celebrate. For me, it will be the 4th cycle in a row I've blown past as a PI because of "xyzabc" yet again.
I have a bunch of workable ideas: some of which I think are really interesting. Maybe Cycle 6 ... or maybe I can donate a few of these to an eager ECR
I have a bunch of workable ideas: some of which I think are really interesting. Maybe Cycle 6 ... or maybe I can donate a few of these to an eager ECR
This cannot be good.
Shared with permission from Carl Stahle, Retired, Vice President of Goddard Retirees and Alumni Association, NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center
Link in the document text: www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
(Original LinkedIn post: www.linkedin.com/posts/carl-s...)
@roguenasa.altgov.info
Flight Center
Link in the document text: www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
(Original LinkedIn post: www.linkedin.com/posts/carl-s...)
@roguenasa.altgov.info
October 8, 2025 at 3:20 PM
This cannot be good.
more of this is coming, I'm afraid.
Sad to see the University of Washington Astronomy Department has suspended graduate admissions for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. astro.washington.edu/graduate-adm...
Graduate Admissions | Department of Astronomy | University of Washington
The Department of Astronomy has suspended graduate admissions for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. General Information for applying to UW Astronomy Graduate Program. Applications must be submitted using ...
astro.washington.edu
October 7, 2025 at 8:01 PM
more of this is coming, I'm afraid.
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
Astronomers have caught a bouncing baby exoplanet feeding and growing pretty big!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-baby-pla...
Note: This is for paying subbies to my newsletter, to and for whom I am very grateful.
🔭🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-baby-pla...
Note: This is for paying subbies to my newsletter, to and for whom I am very grateful.
🔭🧪
A baby planet is caught feeding
AB Aurigae b is a young, massive planet still pulling material in to grow
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Astronomers have caught a bouncing baby exoplanet feeding and growing pretty big!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-baby-pla...
Note: This is for paying subbies to my newsletter, to and for whom I am very grateful.
🔭🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-baby-pla...
Note: This is for paying subbies to my newsletter, to and for whom I am very grateful.
🔭🧪
I encounter this situation periodically. Yes, the authors write the paper THEY (not you) decided to write. But the paper still has to make sense within their world: i.e. it has to be methodologically sound and the conclusions have to follow.
A referee insisting on these two things is not "mean".
A referee insisting on these two things is not "mean".
How much is too much to ask when refereeing a paper?
I don't feel like the authors quite did what I asked them to in the first report, but they've done *some* stuff. Also, some of the new plots show some potential new issues with the paper.
But, I also don't want to be too mean...
I don't feel like the authors quite did what I asked them to in the first report, but they've done *some* stuff. Also, some of the new plots show some potential new issues with the paper.
But, I also don't want to be too mean...
September 23, 2025 at 2:56 PM
I encounter this situation periodically. Yes, the authors write the paper THEY (not you) decided to write. But the paper still has to make sense within their world: i.e. it has to be methodologically sound and the conclusions have to follow.
A referee insisting on these two things is not "mean".
A referee insisting on these two things is not "mean".
The Self-Driving Cars
Technologically advance a band:
Huey Lewis and the Aggregator Website.
Huey Lewis and the Aggregator Website.
Technologically advance a band:
The B-2s
The B-2s
September 22, 2025 at 1:30 AM
The Self-Driving Cars
A firm bipartisan statement to protect NASA if we go into a CR.
Reps. Chu, Bacon Lead Colleagues in Urging House Appropriators to Explicitly Protect NASA Funding in Upcoming Continuing Resolution chu.house.gov/media-center... #NASA
Reps. Chu, Bacon Lead Colleagues in Urging House Appropriators to Explicitly Protect NASA Funding in Upcoming Continuing Resolution
Lawmakers warn a CR anomaly for NASA is needed to prevent the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from prematurely making dramatic cuts at NASA without the consent of Congress
chu.house.gov
September 17, 2025 at 2:14 AM
A firm bipartisan statement to protect NASA if we go into a CR.
arxiv.org/abs/2509.08905
Our Roman Coronagraph white paper on trying Spatial Linear Dark Field Control (SLDFC) during the technology demonstration phase.
This will be challenging to make work, but the payoff will be worth it. Medium-high risk, high reward. YOLO.
Our Roman Coronagraph white paper on trying Spatial Linear Dark Field Control (SLDFC) during the technology demonstration phase.
This will be challenging to make work, but the payoff will be worth it. Medium-high risk, high reward. YOLO.
Demonstrating Improved Contrast on the Roman Coronagraph with Spatial Linear Dark Field Control
The baseline contrast floor from the Roman Coronagraph's High-Order Wavefront Sensing and Control strategy likely degrades over the course of time, requiring periodic recalibration of the dark hole. H...
arxiv.org
September 12, 2025 at 11:47 PM
arxiv.org/abs/2509.08905
Our Roman Coronagraph white paper on trying Spatial Linear Dark Field Control (SLDFC) during the technology demonstration phase.
This will be challenging to make work, but the payoff will be worth it. Medium-high risk, high reward. YOLO.
Our Roman Coronagraph white paper on trying Spatial Linear Dark Field Control (SLDFC) during the technology demonstration phase.
This will be challenging to make work, but the payoff will be worth it. Medium-high risk, high reward. YOLO.
Excellent advice
My periodic reminder for #astrosci #astrodon #exoplanets Early Career Researchers to please, please, please have a simple web site with your current email address on it - rationale here: kenworthy.space/advice/
September 12, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Excellent advice
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
Congrats to @joneskuma.bsky.social, co-winner of the DPS Urey Prize for early career researchers! #EPSCDPS
September 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Congrats to @joneskuma.bsky.social, co-winner of the DPS Urey Prize for early career researchers! #EPSCDPS
Reposted by Thayne Currie 🇺🇦
