Hannah Earnshaw
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hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Hannah Earnshaw
@hpearnshaw.bsky.social
200 followers 120 following 200 posts
Astronomer at Caltech | NuSTAR Project Scientist | UVEX science team
British, Queer, Christian, bird-parent.
Aspiring Martian.
Opinions my own.

they/them
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hpearnshaw.bsky.social
(Uh oh. Someone just showed up. Gotta go! Happy Halloween!)
It's Beetlejuice!!
October 31, 2025 at 5:44 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Particle Physics in Space: In Search of the Elusive Axion! New article up on the NuSTAR website about how we can use our astrophysics mission to do particle physics too, and hunt for dark matter! 🔭🧪
nustar.caltech.edu/news/nustar2...
Composite image of the Sun including high-energy X-ray data from NuSTAR (blue); low-energy X-ray data from Hinode (green); and ultraviolet data from Solar Dynamics Observatory (red). The centers of stars like or even bigger than our Sun are unimaginably hot environments that may hold the key to detecting dark matter.
October 31, 2025 at 5:36 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Off on vacation for a birthday road trip to New Mexico! Visited the VLA yesterday. Nice to pretend to be Jodie Foster in Contact for a minute.
A photo of the Very Large Array showing the central ~11 radio dishes of the array pointed into the sky.
August 4, 2025 at 4:13 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Made some friends today
Photograph of OP in Balboa Park with a scarlet macaw perched on one arm, and another perched on their head. The one perched on their head has taken interest in their hat and is chewing on it a little. OP is delighted by this development.
July 6, 2025 at 11:27 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Thirteen years ago today, the NuSTAR X-ray space telescope was launched, and has been pushing the boundaries of discovery in high-energy astrophysics ever since! See some cool artwork and learn about some of the key science areas that NuSTAR helps us study here: nustar.caltech.edu/page/nustar-... 🔭🧪
Stylized promotional artwork for the NASA NuSTAR X-ray space telescope, showing gas getting pulled from a star onto an accretion disk around a black hole, in a stained-glass art style.
June 13, 2025 at 5:17 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Arrived back in Pasadena just in time to catch my favourite time of year - jacaranda season!
A photograph of a jacaranda tree covered in purple blooms on a Pasadena street Another photograph of a jacaranda tree covered in purple blooms on a Pasadena street
May 22, 2025 at 4:07 AM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Wrapping up the 2025 International Astronomical Consortium for High-Energy Calibration (IACHEC) workshop in Osaka - more conferences should close with a filk sing-along! 🔭🧪🛰️
A lyrics sheet for Calibrate (sung to Let It Be by McCartney) [Verse 1] When a multimission fit gives trouble I-A-CHEC then comes to me Speaking words of wisdom Carefully And in my hour of darkness They are conferring annually Publishing their wisdom Carefully Calibrate, Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate So much cross-cal wisdom Calibrate [Verse 2] And when the broken-hearted people Fitting data disagree We align responses Helpfully And when a weird line pops up in there, A micrometeorite hits me I-A-CHEC's the answer Naturally Calibrate, Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate Cross-checking responses Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate Spectral truth in teamwork Calibrate [Guitar Solo] Calibrate, Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate X-rays up to gammas Calibrate [Verse 3] And when the night is cloudy There is still a satellite for me Photons for tomorrow Hopefully We welcome missions old and recent All one high-E family Worldly words of wisdom Usefully Calibrate, Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate Oh, there will be an answer Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate Oh, there will be Concordance Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate Calibrate, Calibrate IACHEC's the answer Calibrate
May 15, 2025 at 10:45 AM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
The local feral parrot flock stopped by the Caltech orange trees for lunch (not pictured - half-eaten oranges strewn all over the path 😂)
A photograph of a green parrot perched in an orange tree, almost blending in with the leaves, looking hopefully down at an orange just beneath it
April 15, 2025 at 7:25 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
By observing the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant in the X-rays over time, astronomers are able to study cosmic ray production in conditions we can't replicate on Earth. It's nature's own particle accelerator laboratory, there for us to see with space telescopes! 🔭🧪
nustar.caltech.edu/news/nustar2...
The Cassiopeia A supernova remnant as seen in X-rays during its original observation, with low-energy X-rays detected by Chandra in red, yellow, and green, and high-energy X-rays detected by NuSTAR in blue.
April 11, 2025 at 5:27 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
I will regularly buy beer based entirely on a delightfully silly label. (This one also tastes good!)
A can of Matinee Idol beer (a Mexican-style lager), whose label is formatted like a gossip magazine but where all of the pictures are of chickens, with mini headlines such as "Obvi? Obvs? Totes! Your guide to this season's hottest 'breves!" and "Can someone be too heart eyes? We ask an optometrist"
April 6, 2025 at 7:06 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Observing Transgender Day of Visibility at church this morning. We continue to be visible, and our banner is still hanging, despite the vandalism attempts.
A photo of Hannah standing in front of and pointing up to a banner reading "Transgender Rights Are Human Rights" hanging from the tree at All Saints Church
March 30, 2025 at 6:50 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Post a warning
Photograph taken in a green, dimly-lit space, of an orange triangular sign with a black figure getting disintegrated and sucked into a hole. The sign is surrounded by blobs of strange metallic goop.
March 24, 2025 at 6:40 AM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Apparently it was world budgie day yesterday? Shout-out to these two guys who help me to not be a bottomless pit of rage these days
A photograph of two budgies: Merry, who is green and yellow, and Sam, who is blue and light yellow.
March 22, 2025 at 6:03 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Happy gotcha day to this silly green banana. So glad to have had Merry in my life for four years now. Thanks for the company, little buddy!
A photograph of a green and yellow budgie (parakeet) standing on top of his cage - this is Merry. His companion Sam, who is blue and pale yellow, is also in the frame, perched inside the cage
February 22, 2025 at 5:54 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Absolute funniest headline for reporting the news about the proportion of highly-obscured supermassive black holes: "scientists warn" seems to be rather overstating the danger we're in from all the hidden supermassive black holes out there 😂🔭
Screenshot of a headline from The Independent reading: "May be more supermassive black holes than thought, scientists warn", with an accompanying image of an accreting black hole.
January 15, 2025 at 6:39 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
NASA's high-energy missions booth is back at #AAS245 and bigger than ever - literally. We got more space this year so that four missions can hang out: Fermi, Swift, NuSTAR, and XRISM. Come say hi to us to learn about some high-energy astronomy and pick up some cool posters and stickers while you do!
A photograph of the NASA high-energy missions booth at the 245th AAS meeting, showing tables, banners, and promotional materials for the Fermi, Swift, NuSTAR, and XRISM missions.
January 13, 2025 at 9:31 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Are you coming to the #AAS245 meeting in January? Swing by NASA's high-energy mission booth and find out about the science NuSTAR has been up to - and here's a sneak preview of the cool new stickers you can pick up when you do! 🔭
A close-up shot of a sticker for the NuSTAR mission, showing a hazy view of colourful abstract artwork of the NuSTAR satellite, in an enamel/stained-glass style. Underneath it and blurred in the background, other stickers can be seen, their contents obscured (for now...)
December 20, 2024 at 5:57 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
This joint olive oil and balsamic vinegar bottle is the coolest thing I've seen all day
A bottle inside a bottle - the smooth outer bottle contains olive oil, and the wavy inner bottle contains balsamic vinegar (which is visible through the oil in the outer bottle) with spouts coming out of opposite sides.
December 11, 2024 at 3:26 AM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Ash Wednesday is my approximate (and this year exact!) anniversary of my first service singing in the choir at All Saints. That year was also the curious combination of "I love you" and "You are going to die" that we have this year. Happy Ashentine's everyone!
A selfie of Hannah in chorister's robes and with an ashen cross on their forehead
February 15, 2024 at 4:48 AM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
When SN2023ixf went off last year, the closest supernova in nearly a decade, NuSTAR was able to take observations within just four days - early enough to observe high-energy X-rays from the explosion while lower-energy X-rays were still obscured by the circumstellar material. 🔭🛰️
The face-on spiral galaxy M101, with NuSTAR data in green, indicating the position of SN2023ixf.
January 25, 2024 at 6:09 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Dinosaur-obsessed ten-year-old me (and let's be real, adult me too) is delighted to learn that we've discovered a new dinosaur species, and named it 'Pharoah's chicken from hell' (Eoneophron infernalis)
Artist's impression of a new bird-like dinosaur, with a blue body and feathered tail, and orange-yellow feet and head. Its eyes are golden and beady and it has a beak-like snout.
January 25, 2024 at 4:08 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Helpful assistant at our conference booth takedown #AAS243 🐦
A pigeon wanders the emptying conference hall at AAS243
January 11, 2024 at 10:44 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
That's what it is! A team-up Chandra and JWST (and a number of other telescopes) to study the supernova remnant Cas A and produce this stunning image! This is a very well-studied SNR (NuSTAR's looked at it too, to trace the titanium in the remnant) but there's always more to learn. #AAS243 🔭
The previously-embargoed exhibit now revealed - an image of the Cas A supernova remnant made up of data from Chandra (blue) plus JWST, HST, and Spitzer.
January 8, 2024 at 9:46 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
Cool new XRISM results, seen at the Fermi/Swift/NuSTAR/XRISM booth at #AAS243. For more XRISM information, the XRISM special session is happening now! 🔭
TV screen at the high-energy missions booth showing recent XRISM results - an image and spectrum from supernova remnant N132D
January 8, 2024 at 4:06 PM
hpearnshaw.bsky.social
If you remain curious, you can also check out the Chandra booth across the hall. I'm curious about whatever's under this cover...
An exhibit at the Chandra booth at AAS which is covered with black cloth and a sign reading "Embargoed until Monday"
January 8, 2024 at 3:15 AM