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/
I got this wonderful spam journal request and cannot help but read it in Samuel L Jackson's voice
November 19, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I got this wonderful spam journal request and cannot help but read it in Samuel L Jackson's voice
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.
Some are still going but facing a few challenges. E.g.
August 27, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Some are still going but facing a few challenges. E.g.
It's spectrum is WAY WAY different from that of PDS 70 bc, though. But if you're a stellar astronomer looking at this and thinking "wait, I've seen this pattern before ..." you're probably right.
inverse P Cyg profile = uncommon but usually an indicator of infalling gas.
inverse P Cyg profile = uncommon but usually an indicator of infalling gas.
August 27, 2025 at 2:25 AM
It's spectrum is WAY WAY different from that of PDS 70 bc, though. But if you're a stellar astronomer looking at this and thinking "wait, I've seen this pattern before ..." you're probably right.
inverse P Cyg profile = uncommon but usually an indicator of infalling gas.
inverse P Cyg profile = uncommon but usually an indicator of infalling gas.
Here's the spectrum extracted from a joint MCMC fit to the signal and background vs. the star. Definitely not "simple" scattered light.
August 27, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Here's the spectrum extracted from a joint MCMC fit to the signal and background vs. the star. Definitely not "simple" scattered light.
context: protoplanets are rather difficult to find.
And aside from PDS 70 bc [at least prior to today; see WISPIT papers], AB Aurigae b had the most comprehensive case for being a directly imaged protoplanet
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
And aside from PDS 70 bc [at least prior to today; see WISPIT papers], AB Aurigae b had the most comprehensive case for being a directly imaged protoplanet
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 27, 2025 at 2:24 AM
context: protoplanets are rather difficult to find.
And aside from PDS 70 bc [at least prior to today; see WISPIT papers], AB Aurigae b had the most comprehensive case for being a directly imaged protoplanet
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
And aside from PDS 70 bc [at least prior to today; see WISPIT papers], AB Aurigae b had the most comprehensive case for being a directly imaged protoplanet
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
And here we are ... our paper reporting the detection of the AB Aurigae b protoplanet with VLT/MUSE spectroscopy!
arxiv.org/abs/2508.18351
arxiv.org/abs/2508.18351
August 27, 2025 at 2:23 AM
And here we are ... our paper reporting the detection of the AB Aurigae b protoplanet with VLT/MUSE spectroscopy!
arxiv.org/abs/2508.18351
arxiv.org/abs/2508.18351
And now the Daily Beast officially went down the Avi Loeb insanity spiral on Facebook. ... so I responded with a "high-strung" comment and a plug for @deschscoveries.bsky.social
August 15, 2025 at 4:06 PM
And now the Daily Beast officially went down the Avi Loeb insanity spiral on Facebook. ... so I responded with a "high-strung" comment and a plug for @deschscoveries.bsky.social
re: the candidate Alpha Cen planet from JWST ...
I'm going with residual speckle/artifact if I had to guess (and I get super-nervous about a 3.3-4.3 sig detection).
But I would very, very much like to be proven wrong. And any TAC doing their job should approve follow up: obviously worth doing.
I'm going with residual speckle/artifact if I had to guess (and I get super-nervous about a 3.3-4.3 sig detection).
But I would very, very much like to be proven wrong. And any TAC doing their job should approve follow up: obviously worth doing.
August 7, 2025 at 3:48 PM
re: the candidate Alpha Cen planet from JWST ...
I'm going with residual speckle/artifact if I had to guess (and I get super-nervous about a 3.3-4.3 sig detection).
But I would very, very much like to be proven wrong. And any TAC doing their job should approve follow up: obviously worth doing.
I'm going with residual speckle/artifact if I had to guess (and I get super-nervous about a 3.3-4.3 sig detection).
But I would very, very much like to be proven wrong. And any TAC doing their job should approve follow up: obviously worth doing.
Yes, like the "entrenched opinion" that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
July 17, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Yes, like the "entrenched opinion" that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
In non "Harvard man" astronomy news ... it looks like we have a new directly-imaged planet!
HD 135344 Ab
arxiv.org/pdf/2507.06206
HD 135344 Ab
arxiv.org/pdf/2507.06206
July 9, 2025 at 3:35 AM
In non "Harvard man" astronomy news ... it looks like we have a new directly-imaged planet!
HD 135344 Ab
arxiv.org/pdf/2507.06206
HD 135344 Ab
arxiv.org/pdf/2507.06206
Meanwhile on the other site ...
July 9, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Meanwhile on the other site ...
a key paragraph (granted it refers to the prior paper but the critique presumably remains).
Also note, this is a peer-reviewed paper in press
Also note, this is a peer-reviewed paper in press
April 18, 2025 at 1:56 AM
a key paragraph (granted it refers to the prior paper but the critique presumably remains).
Also note, this is a peer-reviewed paper in press
Also note, this is a peer-reviewed paper in press
AB Aurigae b. It looks absolutely wild
February 27, 2025 at 9:12 PM
AB Aurigae b. It looks absolutely wild
This is the way, Democrats.
January 31, 2025 at 5:09 PM
This is the way, Democrats.
New on arxiv.
Anyone want to guess who this is? 🙃
Anyone want to guess who this is? 🙃
December 19, 2024 at 3:16 AM
New on arxiv.
Anyone want to guess who this is? 🙃
Anyone want to guess who this is? 🙃
Hello old friend ...
December 17, 2024 at 4:44 AM
Hello old friend ...
SCExAO observing tonight ... !
[can I do this and get James ready for daycare at the same time?]
[can I do this and get James ready for daycare at the same time?]
November 20, 2024 at 12:35 PM
SCExAO observing tonight ... !
[can I do this and get James ready for daycare at the same time?]
[can I do this and get James ready for daycare at the same time?]
James had a very appropriate costume for his first Halloween
November 2, 2023 at 3:33 PM
James had a very appropriate costume for his first Halloween
Rawr! It's a James attack
September 2, 2023 at 7:35 PM
Rawr! It's a James attack
This was a fun paper
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
August 22, 2023 at 9:12 PM
This was a fun paper
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...