Ira Thorpe
@ithorpe.bsky.social
Gravitational wave astrophysicist working on Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Dad, husband, outdoor lover, and expat New Mexican living in greater Washington, DC.
Employed by NASA, but opinions are my own.
Employed by NASA, but opinions are my own.
Pinned
Ira Thorpe
@ithorpe.bsky.social
· Nov 25
The Invisible World of Gravitational Waves - NASA
Information about the universe is all around us. But there’s more than meets the eye! Gravitational waves are the invisible ripples in spacetime caused by supermassive interstellar activity. Join astr...
www.nasa.gov
One of the best things about doing science at NASA is the opportunity to work with science communicators who are absolute pros and help you tell your story.
www.nasa.gov/podcasts/cur...
www.nasa.gov/podcasts/cur...
WaPo burying the lede here on their otherwise informative analysis of the federal workforce. If Trump succeeds in making a 25% cut to the federal workforce, that makes less than a 1% cut to federal spending. Why? Because most federal spending is in grants or contracts going to people or companies.
February 13, 2025 at 1:45 AM
WaPo burying the lede here on their otherwise informative analysis of the federal workforce. If Trump succeeds in making a 25% cut to the federal workforce, that makes less than a 1% cut to federal spending. Why? Because most federal spending is in grants or contracts going to people or companies.
This is for any other Xennials out there: I always thought the mid-life crisis was supposed to be a personal thing, not a national or global thing. Was I wrong? 🤔
February 12, 2025 at 10:22 PM
This is for any other Xennials out there: I always thought the mid-life crisis was supposed to be a personal thing, not a national or global thing. Was I wrong? 🤔
Finally deleted my dormant X account. Now the right wing trolls are in charge of my real life so I don’t need to experience it online.
January 29, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Finally deleted my dormant X account. Now the right wing trolls are in charge of my real life so I don’t need to experience it online.
Reposted by Ira Thorpe
Fully concur with @emily.space. @esa.int ‘s Gaia mission has been transformative & a triumph for #openscience. Kudos & gratitude to my colleagues at the agency and to the whole Gaia data consortium for stellar work 💫✨🔭
January 12, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Fully concur with @emily.space. @esa.int ‘s Gaia mission has been transformative & a triumph for #openscience. Kudos & gratitude to my colleagues at the agency and to the whole Gaia data consortium for stellar work 💫✨🔭
Horrified at the news out of LA and the devastation in Altadena in particular. I always stayed there during my many visits to JPL and enjoyed running through the hilly streets and sampling many of the great shops and eateries. Keeping my JPL colleagues in my thoughts.
January 9, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Horrified at the news out of LA and the devastation in Altadena in particular. I always stayed there during my many visits to JPL and enjoyed running through the hilly streets and sampling many of the great shops and eateries. Keeping my JPL colleagues in my thoughts.
Happy 113th birthday to #FairNewMexico, my beloved home state.
Photo is one I took of chimney rock above Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu with Cerro Pedernal in the background
Photo is one I took of chimney rock above Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu with Cerro Pedernal in the background
January 6, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Happy 113th birthday to #FairNewMexico, my beloved home state.
Photo is one I took of chimney rock above Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu with Cerro Pedernal in the background
Photo is one I took of chimney rock above Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu with Cerro Pedernal in the background
Interviewer: Can you explain this gap in your resume?
Astronomer: Actually we’re not sure if it is a real gap in my resume or whether we just haven’t yet discovered what I did during that time. We’re going to need a bigger telescope to find out. 🔭
Astronomer: Actually we’re not sure if it is a real gap in my resume or whether we just haven’t yet discovered what I did during that time. We’re going to need a bigger telescope to find out. 🔭
Interviewer: Can you explain this gap in your resume?
Planetary scientist: It's a result of orbital resonances with Jupiter.
Planetary scientist: It's a result of orbital resonances with Jupiter.
Interviewer: Can you explain this gap in your resume?
Playwright: That's the end of Act I.
Playwright: That's the end of Act I.
December 22, 2024 at 1:13 PM
Interviewer: Can you explain this gap in your resume?
Astronomer: Actually we’re not sure if it is a real gap in my resume or whether we just haven’t yet discovered what I did during that time. We’re going to need a bigger telescope to find out. 🔭
Astronomer: Actually we’re not sure if it is a real gap in my resume or whether we just haven’t yet discovered what I did during that time. We’re going to need a bigger telescope to find out. 🔭
Impressive results from MeerKAT PTA with just 4.5yrs of data!
Read the author accepted versions of the three papers here:
academic.oup.com/mnras/advanc...
academic.oup.com/mnras/advanc...
academic.oup.com/mnras/advanc...
academic.oup.com/mnras/advanc...
academic.oup.com/mnras/advanc...
academic.oup.com/mnras/advanc...
The MeerKAT pulsar timing array: Maps of the gravitational-wave sky with the 4.5 year data release
Abstract. In an accompanying publication, the MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array (MPTA) collaboration reports tentative evidence for the presence of a stochastic
academic.oup.com
December 3, 2024 at 2:07 PM
Impressive results from MeerKAT PTA with just 4.5yrs of data!
Nine years ago today: ESA launches LISA Pathfinder, a mission to demonstrate key technology for LISA. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work this mission through operations and analysis. A great spacecraft and a great team put us in position to make LISA happen.
December 3, 2024 at 10:07 AM
Nine years ago today: ESA launches LISA Pathfinder, a mission to demonstrate key technology for LISA. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work this mission through operations and analysis. A great spacecraft and a great team put us in position to make LISA happen.
Hi, I’m a gravitational wave astronomer.
My greatest hits include “opening a new window on the universe”, “Einstein was right”, and the Christmas multimessenger song “do you see what I hear?”
My greatest hits include “opening a new window on the universe”, “Einstein was right”, and the Christmas multimessenger song “do you see what I hear?”
Hi, I’m a planetary scientist.
My greatest hits include “whether or not it is a planet is the least interesting thing about Pluto”, “it is not aliens”, “still not aliens”, and “also not aliens”
My greatest hits include “whether or not it is a planet is the least interesting thing about Pluto”, “it is not aliens”, “still not aliens”, and “also not aliens”
Hi, I am an asteroid scientist.
My greatest hits include "no, that one will not hit the Earth", "we have the technology to move asteroids if we need to", and "climate change is an orders of magnitude greater problem than the impact hazard".
My greatest hits include "no, that one will not hit the Earth", "we have the technology to move asteroids if we need to", and "climate change is an orders of magnitude greater problem than the impact hazard".
December 3, 2024 at 2:57 AM
Hi, I’m a gravitational wave astronomer.
My greatest hits include “opening a new window on the universe”, “Einstein was right”, and the Christmas multimessenger song “do you see what I hear?”
My greatest hits include “opening a new window on the universe”, “Einstein was right”, and the Christmas multimessenger song “do you see what I hear?”
For any US-based #LISA researchers who may be out there, NASA is running another round of the LISA Preparatory Science program to build capability to leverage LISA science. NoIs are due Jan 17th and we've posted a list of "science gaps" to help inspire proposals. nspires.nasaprs.com/external/sol...
NSPIRES - Solicitations Summary
NASA and U.S. Government policies address research and personal misconduct, and provide avenues for reporting potential violations.
nspires.nasaprs.com
December 2, 2024 at 3:43 PM
For any US-based #LISA researchers who may be out there, NASA is running another round of the LISA Preparatory Science program to build capability to leverage LISA science. NoIs are due Jan 17th and we've posted a list of "science gaps" to help inspire proposals. nspires.nasaprs.com/external/sol...
Reposted by Ira Thorpe
I have a long flight coming up today and I’m bored. Let’s do this.
What’s a question about gravitational waves and/or black holes that you always wanted to ask? 🔭
What’s a question about gravitational waves and/or black holes that you always wanted to ask? 🔭
December 1, 2024 at 10:47 AM
I have a long flight coming up today and I’m bored. Let’s do this.
What’s a question about gravitational waves and/or black holes that you always wanted to ask? 🔭
What’s a question about gravitational waves and/or black holes that you always wanted to ask? 🔭
Quick trip to Ocean City, MD to visit family for Thanksgiving. Enjoyed a peaceful day at Assateague Island National seashore which was good for the soul. My crazy kids even went swimming in the ocean despite the cold temps.
November 30, 2024 at 2:59 PM
Quick trip to Ocean City, MD to visit family for Thanksgiving. Enjoyed a peaceful day at Assateague Island National seashore which was good for the soul. My crazy kids even went swimming in the ocean despite the cold temps.
Some semi-recent progress on our LISA work at NASA Goddard. We took delivery of a prototype telescope for LISA back in May. This telescope isn't used to take pictures, it's used to transmit laser beams across the 2.5 million kilometer LISA constellation.
science.nasa.gov/missions/lis...
science.nasa.gov/missions/lis...
NASA Reveals Prototype Telescope for Gravitational Wave Observatory - NASA Science
NASA has revealed the first look at a full-scale prototype for six telescopes that will enable, in the next decade, the space-based detection of gravitational waves — ripples in space-time caused by m...
science.nasa.gov
November 25, 2024 at 11:39 PM
Some semi-recent progress on our LISA work at NASA Goddard. We took delivery of a prototype telescope for LISA back in May. This telescope isn't used to take pictures, it's used to transmit laser beams across the 2.5 million kilometer LISA constellation.
science.nasa.gov/missions/lis...
science.nasa.gov/missions/lis...
One of the best things about doing science at NASA is the opportunity to work with science communicators who are absolute pros and help you tell your story.
www.nasa.gov/podcasts/cur...
www.nasa.gov/podcasts/cur...
The Invisible World of Gravitational Waves - NASA
Information about the universe is all around us. But there’s more than meets the eye! Gravitational waves are the invisible ripples in spacetime caused by supermassive interstellar activity. Join astr...
www.nasa.gov
November 25, 2024 at 11:34 PM
One of the best things about doing science at NASA is the opportunity to work with science communicators who are absolute pros and help you tell your story.
www.nasa.gov/podcasts/cur...
www.nasa.gov/podcasts/cur...
[1/?] To mark the occasion of my 500th follower, which seems really strange given that I have made exactly one post on this platform since making an account about 18mo ago, I wanted to briefly introduce myself to the community.
November 25, 2024 at 11:01 PM
[1/?] To mark the occasion of my 500th follower, which seems really strange given that I have made exactly one post on this platform since making an account about 18mo ago, I wanted to briefly introduce myself to the community.
Whelp. Here we go with Bluesky
August 24, 2023 at 2:58 PM
Whelp. Here we go with Bluesky