Harrison Harper

Hobart

Harrison
Harper

Astrophysics Photography Software

Astrophysicist, photographer
and builder of things.

42.88° S, 147.33° E Hobart, Tasmania

Your sky —

About

I develop real-time systems for transient astronomy, and photograph Tasmania in infrared and on film.

My research is in time-domain astronomy, where I build software for finding and following things that change in the night sky. I work on real-time alerts, astronomical data pipelines and rapid follow-up observations.

More about me
Based in
Hobart, Tasmania
Degree
BSc (Hons) Physics, First Class Honours
University
University of Tasmania
Research
Time-domain astronomy
Photography
Infrared, film and digital

Selected research / projects

Pipelines, alerts and software.

All research / projects
Honours thesis 2026 Real-Time Transient Detection: Implementing a Semi-Automated Transient Pipeline. Harrison Harper · University of Tasmania Read more GCN Circular 2026 GRB 260511A: UTGO H50 optical afterglow observation H. Harper et al. · University of Tasmania gcn.nasa.gov
  1. 01 GRB Detection Pipeline python · fits · astropy · astronomy Automated FITS reduction pipeline for calibration, source extraction, astrometry and time-based stacking. It produced the University of Tasmania's first confirmed gamma-ray burst detection, which is being prepared for publication. Research 2025-2026 In progress
  2. 02 GCN Alert Network python · kafka · SQL · astronomy Persistent Kafka consumer across nine instrument topics that normalises GRB alert formats into a single internal schema. Routes observatory-filtered notifications to observing teams via discord in near real-time. Research 2026
  3. 03 3I/ATLAS Photometry python · astropy · photometry · astronomy Light curv construction for interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Ephemeris queries from NASA JPL Horizons automate aperture placement on the moving target; nightly zero-points are derived from PanSTARRS and SkyMapper catalogues to account for varying conditions across sessions. Research 2026
  4. 04 Stowpad Swift · OCR · Apple Intelligence · privacy Private clipboard manager for Mac that keeps an encrypted, searchable history of everything you copy. It uses on-device OCR to capture text and tables from the screen, then lets you paste any clip back into any app. Software 2026
  5. 05 React & Motion Dashboard react · motion · typescript · web design A dashboard of animations and interactive effects built in React and Motion. Magnetic cursors, physics springs, gesture-driven components, and other UI experiments collected in one place. Software 2024

Photography

Light, texture and place.

An ongoing archive of infrared, film and digital photographs.

Open the archive12
Black and white photograph of a white handrail running along a concrete waterfront edge, with a weathered no-vehicles sign leaning against the kerb above rippled water. Black and white long exposure of a rain-slicked jetty lined with mooring bollards, still water smoothed flat, and forested hills across the bay under heavy cloud. Minimal colour photograph of a white building with a deep red doorway and security cameras under the eave, a gull in flight against a clear blue sky. Colour photograph of Sydney Harbour: navy frigates moored beneath the city skyline, with a lifeguard walking the deck of a harbourside tidal swimming pool. Black and white photograph of a small white brick shed with a corrugated roof and rusted steel door, standing alone in low coastal scrub with hills behind. Colour photograph looking down at two weathered orange and yellow buoys resting on the green deck of a moored boat, with dark rippled water beyond.
Black and white photograph of an empty park bench at the foot of a steep ivy-covered bank, framed by a bare-limbed tree and a path curving through low ferns. L1000446, photograph by Harrison Harper L1000192 1, photograph by Harrison Harper L1000151, photograph by Harrison Harper Original, photograph by Harrison Harper 000019, photograph by Harrison Harper