Rob Thacker
@robthacker.bsky.social
Astrophysicist & photo geek✨Graduate Coordinator of astrophysics at SMU. Regular co-host of Science Files on CityNews Halifax and Science Wire on CFRA Ottawa. You are made of the ♥ of stars. Halifax/K'jipuktuk (he/him)
It's been a crazy fall with new course preparation on top of additional things like contract negotiations. But can't complain too much when you have amazing places like Shaw Wilderness just a few mins drive away. Here's a couple of fun little reflections. #photography #mikmaki
November 9, 2025 at 8:51 PM
It's been a crazy fall with new course preparation on top of additional things like contract negotiations. But can't complain too much when you have amazing places like Shaw Wilderness just a few mins drive away. Here's a couple of fun little reflections. #photography #mikmaki
I'm not sure if getting chores done counts as procrastinating on work work 😅but got a new garlic bed assembled today and @lmcampbell.bsky.social got our next crop of garlic planted. Shout out to allthingscedar.ca for their cedar planters (yes could do it cheaper with pine or by hand, no time!)
October 19, 2025 at 5:36 PM
I'm not sure if getting chores done counts as procrastinating on work work 😅but got a new garlic bed assembled today and @lmcampbell.bsky.social got our next crop of garlic planted. Shout out to allthingscedar.ca for their cedar planters (yes could do it cheaper with pine or by hand, no time!)
Have to admit this was a pretty awesome combination of the fall colours. The reds are so vivid this year! The yellow is a ginko, the red is a maple behind it, while the tree that is still green is an oak. #halifax #photography
October 16, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Have to admit this was a pretty awesome combination of the fall colours. The reds are so vivid this year! The yellow is a ginko, the red is a maple behind it, while the tree that is still green is an oak. #halifax #photography
And a few days later in full bloom. With the temperature reaching 26 C today this feels rather apropos...
October 6, 2025 at 5:14 PM
And a few days later in full bloom. With the temperature reaching 26 C today this feels rather apropos...
As the northern hemisphere feels the first few portents of winter coming, got out to #Oakfieldprovpark this afternoon for the first time in ages. Such a beautiful place, the colours are vibrant already & will likely be stronger in a few days. Here are a few small vignettes. #photography #mikmaki
October 5, 2025 at 7:40 PM
As the northern hemisphere feels the first few portents of winter coming, got out to #Oakfieldprovpark this afternoon for the first time in ages. Such a beautiful place, the colours are vibrant already & will likely be stronger in a few days. Here are a few small vignettes. #photography #mikmaki
Here's a callery pear on the SMU campus blooming in late September. I had a minor freak out on seeing this, but apparently the trees will do this after periods of stress, most notably drought. It's only a couple of blooms as well, most of the rest of the buds are dormant.
September 29, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Here's a callery pear on the SMU campus blooming in late September. I had a minor freak out on seeing this, but apparently the trees will do this after periods of stress, most notably drought. It's only a couple of blooms as well, most of the rest of the buds are dormant.
A truly spectacular morning at Mellon Udrigle beach in the scottish #highlands. It really is pretty pretty amazing to see the sun rise over the mountains to the east, in turn lighting up the sea mist. #photography
August 31, 2025 at 8:53 PM
A truly spectacular morning at Mellon Udrigle beach in the scottish #highlands. It really is pretty pretty amazing to see the sun rise over the mountains to the east, in turn lighting up the sea mist. #photography
Here's a farmer sowing gulls 😉They grow very quickly and are quite mobile. #photography
August 24, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Here's a farmer sowing gulls 😉They grow very quickly and are quite mobile. #photography
Treated to a truly amazing sky this morning. Clouds were breaking up and letting shafts of light through. #photography
August 20, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Treated to a truly amazing sky this morning. Clouds were breaking up and letting shafts of light through. #photography
And here we go - ruby-throated hummingbirds feeding on the crocosmia as well as landing on the tomato cages and giving us a stare down! 😀Little bit windy tonight so they weren't able to hover for long periods in the same place...
July 20, 2025 at 10:52 PM
And here we go - ruby-throated hummingbirds feeding on the crocosmia as well as landing on the tomato cages and giving us a stare down! 😀Little bit windy tonight so they weren't able to hover for long periods in the same place...
Crokey-bees 😉 An awesome #crocosmia spray alongside some bee-balm in the garden. As always @lmcampbell.bsky.social is doing a fantastic job of shepherding everything to bloom. Will see if we can get some hummingbird pics tonight. #photography #bloomscrolling
July 20, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Crokey-bees 😉 An awesome #crocosmia spray alongside some bee-balm in the garden. As always @lmcampbell.bsky.social is doing a fantastic job of shepherding everything to bloom. Will see if we can get some hummingbird pics tonight. #photography #bloomscrolling
Doe with three fawns walking around the neighbourhood tonight (quick phone pic). They weren't even remotely scared of me watering the garden. Not good in that it means ticks are going to be spread around peoples' gardens. halisky
July 13, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Doe with three fawns walking around the neighbourhood tonight (quick phone pic). They weren't even remotely scared of me watering the garden. Not good in that it means ticks are going to be spread around peoples' gardens. halisky
With it being a colder summer, blooms in our garden are about 4-6 days behind '24. However, the first strands of #crocosmia are out! We jokingly call it "hummingbird crack" as they will get pollen on their heads while feeding. @lmcampbell.bsky.social has seen one flit by so far. #bloomscrolling
July 11, 2025 at 12:52 AM
With it being a colder summer, blooms in our garden are about 4-6 days behind '24. However, the first strands of #crocosmia are out! We jokingly call it "hummingbird crack" as they will get pollen on their heads while feeding. @lmcampbell.bsky.social has seen one flit by so far. #bloomscrolling
A cute little dogwood spray on the SMU campus. It's pretty difficult to reproduce the delicate structure on the white petals, but doing the best I can with a phone cam. #photography
July 1, 2025 at 3:46 PM
A cute little dogwood spray on the SMU campus. It's pretty difficult to reproduce the delicate structure on the white petals, but doing the best I can with a phone cam. #photography
Despite the cool spring, @lmcampbell.bsky.social's bearded irises are starting to bloom. Here's a quick pick from this morning in the overcast light. Halisky
June 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Despite the cool spring, @lmcampbell.bsky.social's bearded irises are starting to bloom. Here's a quick pick from this morning in the overcast light. Halisky
Just finished hosting the annual Canadian astronomy research conference (CASCA) at Saint Mary's U. in Halifax. That's "Squinty" the conference mascot in the pic.
We loved hosting everyone and it was amazing to receive a standing ovation at the end. But I truly miss 2015 sci twitter. #CASCA2025
We loved hosting everyone and it was amazing to receive a standing ovation at the end. But I truly miss 2015 sci twitter. #CASCA2025
June 6, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Just finished hosting the annual Canadian astronomy research conference (CASCA) at Saint Mary's U. in Halifax. That's "Squinty" the conference mascot in the pic.
We loved hosting everyone and it was amazing to receive a standing ovation at the end. But I truly miss 2015 sci twitter. #CASCA2025
We loved hosting everyone and it was amazing to receive a standing ovation at the end. But I truly miss 2015 sci twitter. #CASCA2025
Tough to see our awesome neighbours move out. After being friends for almost 15 yrs, & watching their kids grow up it's a truly bittersweet moment. Gave them a little piece of their (now) former neighbourhood as a house warming gift for their new place: A pic of Mt Olivet's stream. #photography
June 1, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Tough to see our awesome neighbours move out. After being friends for almost 15 yrs, & watching their kids grow up it's a truly bittersweet moment. Gave them a little piece of their (now) former neighbourhood as a house warming gift for their new place: A pic of Mt Olivet's stream. #photography
Halifax constantly trims trees to avoid powerlines. As a result many trees in the city look "cut in 1/2". This is a tree at the corner of Robie and Quinpool. Consider this image a "sketch" as it really needs to be taken in near infra-red at higher res. @lmcampbell.bsky.social #photography
May 27, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Halifax constantly trims trees to avoid powerlines. As a result many trees in the city look "cut in 1/2". This is a tree at the corner of Robie and Quinpool. Consider this image a "sketch" as it really needs to be taken in near infra-red at higher res. @lmcampbell.bsky.social #photography
A little bit of beauty to brighten a dull day - a callery pear in full bloom outside the SMU Science building. Halisky #photography
May 20, 2025 at 1:13 PM
A little bit of beauty to brighten a dull day - a callery pear in full bloom outside the SMU Science building. Halisky #photography
Sunbeams and water streams. A little bit of urban #photography.
May 12, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Sunbeams and water streams. A little bit of urban #photography.
A little bit of beauty that is decades in the making. White pines at #Oakfieldprovpark. Liked how the lighting placed one tree in shadow while the other was flat lit. #photography
May 4, 2025 at 12:34 AM
A little bit of beauty that is decades in the making. White pines at #Oakfieldprovpark. Liked how the lighting placed one tree in shadow while the other was flat lit. #photography
Here's my fave amaryllis grown by @lmcampbell.bsky.social 📸in the evening 🌞. The flowerheads are small-ish but fit together lovely. There's a second stem ready to bloom just below the top spray as well. Had no idea they can live for 70+ years if well cared for! #bloomscrolling #photography
April 21, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Here's my fave amaryllis grown by @lmcampbell.bsky.social 📸in the evening 🌞. The flowerheads are small-ish but fit together lovely. There's a second stem ready to bloom just below the top spray as well. Had no idea they can live for 70+ years if well cared for! #bloomscrolling #photography
An irony of Oakfield Provincial Park is that the white pines are truly spectacular there! #mikmaki On a reflective Good Friday, took some time out there to connect & rejuvenate. Here is a single image in strong ☀️light that for me captures the wonderful variation of growth in the forest. #photography
April 18, 2025 at 7:12 PM
An irony of Oakfield Provincial Park is that the white pines are truly spectacular there! #mikmaki On a reflective Good Friday, took some time out there to connect & rejuvenate. Here is a single image in strong ☀️light that for me captures the wonderful variation of growth in the forest. #photography
Just spent two days in St John's at Memorial doing a dept review. Tough to do a QA/QC review when the operational environment has no year to year stability. Impressed by what people are doing given the situation. Still, downtown is always one view after another! #photography
April 12, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Just spent two days in St John's at Memorial doing a dept review. Tough to do a QA/QC review when the operational environment has no year to year stability. Impressed by what people are doing given the situation. Still, downtown is always one view after another! #photography
And down the sidewalk...
April 9, 2025 at 11:45 AM
And down the sidewalk...