Tessera
Folgen

Shane Larson

@sciencejedi.bsky.social

Physics professor, amateur astro, fountain pens, woodworker, Lego, aspiring guitar player, cat dad, father, [he/him] Posts & opinions are my own. My Blog: writescience.wordpress.com My Instructables: www.instructables.com/member/gravitino/instructables/

143 Posts326 Follower107 Folgt
Shane Larson@sciencejedi.bsky.social · 3d ago

If you've seen my Moon talk, you know my favorite factoid is: if you saw APOLLO 13 in IMAX (30 yrs ago) the Saturn V launch is approximately LIFE SIZE. I'm giving my Moon talk tomorrow at Carlton Observatory in McMinnville... on an IMAX screen. You know what is going to happen, don't you???? 😀🚀

Title slide showing the rising full moon on a black slide, with some tree silohuettes in front of it. Title: THE ONCE AND FUTURE MOON, by Shane L Larson of Clarkson University. Talk at Carlton Observatory-Evergreen Aviation Musuem in McMinnville, OR at 7pm on 8 Oct 2026.
Shane Larson@sciencejedi.bsky.social · 3d ago

Hello PNW! I'm here! I'll be talking at Carlton Observatory at Evergreen tomorrow (Thursday), in Bend on Friday and in Couer d'Alene next Thursday. With some work in the middle..😀

Foot on the famous Portland airport carpet -- green carpet with red/blue/yellow arc design pattern.
Shane Larson@sciencejedi.bsky.social · 4w ago

Happy Gravitational Wave Detection Day, the anniversary of #GW150914! 2 black holes, the largest "stellar mass black holes" we had ever detected at that time (36 and 29 solar masses), merged 1.3 billion lyr away! My blog from the announcement in February: writescience.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/t...

The Harmonies of Spacetime — GW150914

by Shane L. Larson I have a good friend, Tyson, whom I don’t get to see nearly often enough. We are both privileged to be among the first generation of scientists who will know the Universe by obse…

writescience.wordpress.com

Shane Larson@sciencejedi.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In Cincinnati for the Astronomical League convention. Talk tomorrow night on the Harvard Computers (you know -- a chance to opine on why Henrietta Swan Leavitt was the most important astronomer ever...) 🙂

Title slide: "The Women of the Harvard Computers and the Birth of Modern Astronomy" by Shane L. Larson of Clarkson University. Image is black and white image of the women of the Harvard Computers sitting in their analysis room around a table covered in books. There is a chalkboard in the background, a celestial globe, and a light table used to look at astronomical photographic plates. Most of the women are wearing long dresses. Several are standing, several are sitting in chairs, and one is sitting on the floor in the center.
Shane Larson@sciencejedi.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Happy Earth Day! There has never been a time when Earth is under more threat by brazen exploitation & wanton ignorance about the impact we have on the world, the only place we know that life exists, and the only home we've ever known. (Photo: The Blue Marble, by Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt)

The Blue Marble, taken by Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt en route to the Moon at the end of 1972. Blue Earth showing almost all of Africa and the Indian Ocean, and much of Antarctica. Clouds swirl over it all. One of the most important gifts of the space age is the opportunity to view our world as a single place, without boundaries and borders, interconnected and growing and dying together. Protect it and all it represents.
Shane Larson@sciencejedi.bsky.social · 8mo ago

On my way to Boise to do some talks about LISA and gravitational waves. Did an interview this week with Idaho Matters on Idaho Public Radio about what we are going to talk about! Give it a listen! www.boisestatepublicradio.org/show/idaho-m...

A sun-sized space telescope could transform how we see the cosmos

A sun-sized space detector called LISA is set to catch ripples from colliding black holes, giving scientists a brand-new way to explore the universe.

boisestatepublicradio.org

Shane Larson@sciencejedi.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Today is the 10th Anniversary of the LISA Pathfinder launch! This set the stage for the road to LISA we are currently on -- a remarkable mission that highlights the enormous talent, perseverance, and imagination of the scientists and engineers in the gravitational wave community!

LISA Community@lisacommunity.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Relive the Moment: LISA Pathfinder has launched! 🚀🛰️ At 04:04UTC on the 3rd December, LISA Pathfinder successfully launched on top of a VEGA launcher. The rockets first three stages burned for ~7minutes, followed by a nine minute burn for the rockets upper stage. www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

ESA Space Science@science.esa.int · 10mo ago

Happy 10th launch anniversary, LISA Pathfinder! 🥳 For the first time ever, this mission tested in space the technology needed to detect gravitational waves, which paved the way to LISA 🤜 🤛 Planned to launch in 2035, LISA will be first gravitational wave detector in space 👉 esa.int/lisa 🔭

Artist’s impression of LISA Pathfinder in space. The Earth is visible in the background, partly lit.
Shane Larson@sciencejedi.bsky.social · last yr.

In recent months, I've lost a dear cousin, watched friends lose parents, lost an old friend from graduate school, and spent a lot of time with beloved friends who are much older than I. So I've been pondering mortality a bit, and so a bit of writing emerges. wp.me/p19G0g-YH

The Circle of Life

by Shane L. Larson For most of our lives, we live day to day surrounded by family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Whether we share only brief hellos, a quick text message, or long conversa…

wp.me