On this day, for #LPF10anniversary: following the successful separation from the launch vehicle, the mission operations team at ESOC undertook one of the most complex Launch and Early Operations Phases (LEOP) ever undertaken or an ESA mission. Watch it here 📽️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=maKX...

Aurora Borealis over Ireland's Eye tonight from Howth.

Check out recently published research in CQG discussing the function, design, and current status of Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) telescopes under development at NASA iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

A fantastic report from Limerick with an unequivocal conclusion: the majority of Limerick’s protected cycle lane schemes “maintained or enhanced” access for emergency vehicles. Will our planners listen though? That is the question.

From LISA Pathfinder to LISA: Celebrating 10 years of LPF launch 🛰💛 "A fantastic mission. Everybody who worked with LPF felt in love with the mission." - Stefano Vitale, LPF PI

The best way to reduce congestion is to give people good alternatives to driving. This is why it is so disappointing to see the government put the DART+ South West scheme on the long finger.

Paper day!

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 🔭

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...

10 years ago we were just getting ready for the launch of LISA Pathfinder - the geodesic explorer and #LISAmission's precursor🛰️ LPF launched on Dec 3, 2015, at 04:04 UTC/05:04 CET/23:04 ET on Dec 2! [Credits: Directed by Stephane Corvaja, ESA; Manuel Pedoussaut, Zetapress; Music by Hubrid-Gravity]

From Ansh Gupta: Astronomers have spent decades searching for seeds of the earliest black holes. Did JWST just glimpse the very first ones? ⚛️🔭☄🧪 astrobites.org/2025/11/27/g...

Aideen’s story has sparked an overwhelming response, showing the real impact that pavement parking has on people’s daily lives across the UK. This is why we are campaigning to end pavement parking. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/shaken-birmingham-woman-calls-pavement-32904943

Webb's #NIRSpec has helped astronomers weigh up a supermassive black hole in the early Universe – and found it much more massive than expected. Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🧪 🔭

How much information can we gain by pushing numerical relativity to its limit by simulating black hole scattering encounters? My latest paper (below) explores these extreme regions of the black-hole scattering parameter space using simulations generated using the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC).

It's an honour to have been elected as the Spokesperson for the LISA Consortium. I look forward to working with this great community over the next two years. www.ucd.ie/newsandopini... @lisacommunity.bsky.social

All the lectures for the first #LISASchool that was held at Ecole de physique des Houches on Oct 7-17 2025 are now available on Youtube! 📽️ Check them out here 👉 www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

What an inspiring two weeks at Ecole de Physique des Houches! 🏔️ 🇫🇷 The first #LISASchool for Early Career Scientists brought together young researchers from around the world to learn, collaborate, and explore the science behind #LISAMission, the first space-based gravitational-wave observatory.

When you provide regular rail service between cities, people use it. Passenger numbers are up 40% on the Dublin-Belfast route since the introduction of hourly services.

Meet GW241011 and GW241101: with rapid spins and mismatched black hole masses, these gravitational wave events provide strong evidence for black hole growth through successive mergers. aasnova.org/2025/10/28/n... 🔭🧪 @ligo.org

With the completion of the Butterfield Ave/Firhouse Road section of the Dodder Greenway it is now possible to cycle ~13km from Ely's Arch to the Bohernabreena Reservoir Park (almost) entirely off road.

Three papers from the Multiscale Self-Force (MSF) collaboration on the arXiv yesterday that made use of the BHPToolkit. The first was "Spin-aligned inspiral waveforms from self-force and post-Newtonian theory" by Loïc Honet et al. arxiv.org/abs/2510.16112

Recent paper that cites the BHPToolkit: "Black hole mergers beyond general relativity: a self-force approach" by Ayush Roy, Lorenzo Küchler, Adam Pound, Rodrigo Panosso Macedo, arxiv.org/abs/2510.11793

Paper on the arXiv today that uses the BHPToolkit: "Transition-to-plunge self-force waveforms with a spinning primary" by Loïc Honet, Lorenzo Küchler, Adam Pound, Geoffrey Compère, arxiv.org/abs/2510.13958

Recent paper the cites the BHPToolkit: "Hybridization of second-order gravitational self-force and numerical relativity waveforms for quasi-circular and non-spinning black hole binaries" by Hector Iglesias, Leanne Durkan, Deirdre Shoemaker, arxiv.org/abs/2510.11685

A request for weather interested volunteers! Met Eireann would like to rescue millions of weather observations taken in Ireland over many decades that are still stuck on paper. #WeatherRescue Anyone can help: www.zooniverse.org/projects/met...

Paper on the arXiv today that cites the BHPToolkit: "Particles with precessing spin in Kerr spacetime: analytic solutions for eccentric orbits and homoclinic motion near the equatorial plane" by Gabriel Andres Piovano, arxiv.org/abs/2510.09597

@quantamagazine.bsky.social recently did a great video on the Kakeya Conjecture: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J3t.... Fascinating stuff. If you want to know more I found the Mathologer video on the Kakeya problem gave a very clear, non-technical explanation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM-n....

Imagine if Ireland could lay rail tracks as quickly as it builds roads.... my article in the @irishtimes.com today www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...

In continued celebration of a decade of GW detections, some of the @vanderbilt.edu astrophysicists made this fun explainer video. We had a great time making this; just the right amount of cheesy delivery. My students have already gotten a kick out of it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmkt...

Great to attend the Ukrainian Researchers Network event yesterday hosted by @researchireland.ie. The Relativity Group at UCD recently welcomed Oleksii Yanchyshen to work on orbital dynamics around black holes. His work is supported by a RI Supplemental Grant for Displaced Researchers.

A big blanket VAT cut? It's a bad idea. Better to give smarter, more targetted supports for cafes and restaurants. We've set out a way to give more to small businesses while spending about a third of what the government are planning. Be smart: do more, spend less!

Good arguments made in this @thejournal.ie piece by @ciarancannon.bsky.social www.thejournal.ie/prev/6832794...

🚲🤰🤱 Safe, accessible bike parking at a maternity hospital is imperative to enable healthy, lower-impact travel for staff, patients and visitors irishcycle.com/2025/09/28/l...

I'm hiring 1-2 postdocs this year! If you're interested in: GW astrophysics (Binary) Stellar Evolution Stellar dynamics (esp. w/ massive BHs) Galactic dynamics (inc. stellar streams) plz consider applying! You don't need letters initially, just a list of references. 🔭🧪 aas.org/jobregister/...

Job Announcement! Postdoc in Gravitational Waves at University of Nottingham * Two year position * Deadline soon: 29 September * Details and application form: jobs.nottingham.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

Autumn comes to St. Stephen's Green

Looking down the Liffey as the sun sets in Dublin City... #Dublin #Sunset #Liffey #DublinCity #Ireland www.davidcostellophotography.com

Join us with Love 30 at the Dáil to defend 30km/h speed limits! ⭕️ Stop the U-turn on safer speeds 📍 Outside Dáil, Kildare Street D2 📆 2 October ⏰ 10.30am - 11.30am 30km/h limits SAVE LIVES. We need to stop this U-turn and YOU can help on Oct 2. www.love30.ie/saving-lives...

We think this is a great occasion to show you the first images of the new LISA Spacecraft. The ESA led mission is now in the co-engineering phase. The instrument of LISA, provided by national space agencies across Europe and beyond, will be integrated by the primary contractor OHB SE. #GW10Years

Last few places available to attend our Evidence for Policy Summit in Dublin next week. Visit: www.yai.ie for sign up details. If you can't attend in person, email [email protected] for livestream details! #evidenceforpolicy #youngacademyireland #EfP25 @emmaefarrell.bsky.social @karinadoorley.bsky.social

Bonus panel here: www.smbc-comics.com/comic/chew #smbc

"10 years ago, LIGO saw its first gravitational wave. After 218 detections, our view of black holes has changed forever." bigthink.com/starts-with-... by @startswithabang.bsky.social #GWTC4 #O4IsHere 🔭🧪⚛️

A parenting win.

The road between Islandbridge and Chapelizod can be huge hassle to cross. New plans should be announced soon, but the local Green councillors are hoping to see pedestrian crossings, better resurfaced bike lanes, an end to ugly bollards, and safer junction design.

I'm sad to report that Rainer (Rai) Weiss passed away yesterday at age 92. Rai developed the design for LIGO, he and Kip got it funded, trained countless researchers, and received the 2017 Nobel Prize. Rai always had time for students and treated us as equals. May his memory be a blessing

It’s time to dust off the speakers. Will you join us for #IBIKEBop / #CriticalMassDub ? 📆 Friday, 29 August, ‘25 ⏰ Starting 6pm 📍Leaving from Parnell Sq. N, D1 ❓1hr city centre cycle with good company & tunes. Spread the word!

These new protected cycle lanes have made such a big difference in Ranelagh. No longer held up dodging (often illegally) parked cars. With cycle lanes the whole way through Ranelagh there is no longer a need to cycle in the road. Much safer for my family on the route to school.

University of Galway researchers co-lead discovery of new planet

Results from the first part of our fourth LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA observing run are out today! We're pleased to share the largest catalog of gravitational-wave observations with more discoveries of black holes and neutron stars 📰 arxiv.org/abs/2508.18082 🔭🧪⚛️☄️ #GWTC4

I always love diving into a subculture-- bottle collecting + recycling for cash is something I've seen many times. I love that journalism forces me to approach people and learn from them. I spent the evening with Vanessa collecting recyclable cans, and she was open about the perks and challenges.