Dr. Amy Lowitz
@weblogarithms.bsky.social
Physics PhD, grumpy old lady. Frequent Antarctican. Event Horizon Telescope & South Pole Telescope (not speaking for them). Same @ on 🧵, 🐘, and 📷.
What do we think the probability is that I can get this thing all the way to 24.04? 😅🤣
December 27, 2024 at 4:32 PM
What do we think the probability is that I can get this thing all the way to 24.04? 😅🤣
A totally normal number of cookies (unrelated to the totally normal number of power supplies I posted the other day, I swear).
November 28, 2024 at 8:25 PM
A totally normal number of cookies (unrelated to the totally normal number of power supplies I posted the other day, I swear).
Casually hogging every 50 ohm termination in the lab. #justRFthings 🧪🔭
November 26, 2024 at 10:37 PM
Casually hogging every 50 ohm termination in the lab. #justRFthings 🧪🔭
We're in production mode, y'all. These will be used to track the MASER stability at most of the Event Horizon Telescope sites. 🧪🔭🕕
November 23, 2024 at 12:18 AM
We're in production mode, y'all. These will be used to track the MASER stability at most of the Event Horizon Telescope sites. 🧪🔭🕕
A totally normal number of power supplies:
November 21, 2024 at 11:54 PM
A totally normal number of power supplies:
It seems this place is getting busy again, so maybe I'll try out spending some time here again.
Anyway, as proof(?) I did some science in the last 11mo since my last post, here's the SMT on Mt Graham from when I was up there for the EHT (Event Horizon Telescope) campaign in April.
Anyway, as proof(?) I did some science in the last 11mo since my last post, here's the SMT on Mt Graham from when I was up there for the EHT (Event Horizon Telescope) campaign in April.
November 16, 2024 at 4:02 PM
It seems this place is getting busy again, so maybe I'll try out spending some time here again.
Anyway, as proof(?) I did some science in the last 11mo since my last post, here's the SMT on Mt Graham from when I was up there for the EHT (Event Horizon Telescope) campaign in April.
Anyway, as proof(?) I did some science in the last 11mo since my last post, here's the SMT on Mt Graham from when I was up there for the EHT (Event Horizon Telescope) campaign in April.
Yesterday's activity: replace some shunt resistors in the EHT recorders, and then my crates of disk modules for the SPT 2024 EHT campaign arrived, so I unpacked all of the disks and installed them in the recorders, ready for April. 🔭🇦🇶📡🕳️🌌
November 23, 2023 at 5:28 PM
Yesterday's activity: replace some shunt resistors in the EHT recorders, and then my crates of disk modules for the SPT 2024 EHT campaign arrived, so I unpacked all of the disks and installed them in the recorders, ready for April. 🔭🇦🇶📡🕳️🌌
Today I spoke about EHT (Event Horizon Telescope) to some members of Congress and staffers who came to visit us at Pole and learn about the science we do here. 🔭🇦🇶🕳️🌌
November 22, 2023 at 4:20 AM
Today I spoke about EHT (Event Horizon Telescope) to some members of Congress and staffers who came to visit us at Pole and learn about the science we do here. 🔭🇦🇶🕳️🌌
Made it to Pole! I'm here to do some work on the South Pole Telescope for the Event Horizon Telescope. 🔭🇦🇶📡🌌🕳️
November 22, 2023 at 3:48 AM
Made it to Pole! I'm here to do some work on the South Pole Telescope for the Event Horizon Telescope. 🔭🇦🇶📡🌌🕳️
We're on the plane! Here we gooooo!
November 19, 2023 at 10:05 PM
We're on the plane! Here we gooooo!
Trying on my loaner cold weather gear a couple days ago in Christchurch. Hopefully we're heading to McMurdo today and then Pole tomorrow (but probably the weather and airplane maintenance gods have other plans).
November 19, 2023 at 5:42 PM
Trying on my loaner cold weather gear a couple days ago in Christchurch. Hopefully we're heading to McMurdo today and then Pole tomorrow (but probably the weather and airplane maintenance gods have other plans).
And so begins another trip to the South Pole (with chaotic packing the night before). 🇦🇶🔭📡🌌🕳️
November 15, 2023 at 1:03 AM
And so begins another trip to the South Pole (with chaotic packing the night before). 🇦🇶🔭📡🌌🕳️
Here's a 6.5 m mirror for a different project. It was cast in 2019 and is now being polished.
October 15, 2023 at 7:23 PM
Here's a 6.5 m mirror for a different project. It was cast in 2019 and is now being polished.
Last weekend I got to visit the Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona to see the casting of the 7th mirror for the GMT. Tied with the other 6 GMT mirrors, it's the largest monolithic mirror ever cast, at 8.4m. That whole round structure is a spinning furnace, and it's about 1200°C inside. 🔭
October 15, 2023 at 7:21 PM
Last weekend I got to visit the Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona to see the casting of the 7th mirror for the GMT. Tied with the other 6 GMT mirrors, it's the largest monolithic mirror ever cast, at 8.4m. That whole round structure is a spinning furnace, and it's about 1200°C inside. 🔭
Wanna view the eclipse and have literally no supplies? You can make a pinhole camera with just your hand! (hold your hand so just a tiny dot of light goes through). 🔭
October 14, 2023 at 4:46 PM
Wanna view the eclipse and have literally no supplies? You can make a pinhole camera with just your hand! (hold your hand so just a tiny dot of light goes through). 🔭
SolidWorks: like Legos for grown-ups.
September 26, 2023 at 11:12 PM
SolidWorks: like Legos for grown-ups.
Telescoooooooope! Went up to the Kitt Peak 12m on Thursday to take care of some EHT maintenance odds and ends.
July 29, 2023 at 5:06 AM
Telescoooooooope! Went up to the Kitt Peak 12m on Thursday to take care of some EHT maintenance odds and ends.