Prof. Sam Lawler
Prof. Sam LawlerOh my goodness I've missed mountains (hellooooo Rockies!) But at the same time, I now completely understand why Prairie people get sort of claustrophobic around tall mountains!
This is very different from Saskatchewan, and I really notice the large fraction of the sky that I cannot see due to the tall mountains everywhere. I'm ok with it, but I notice it. Interesting.
#ProfSamLectureTour
Prof. Sam LawlerIt was a really wild couple of days getting everything set up for the farm sitters (including packing, fixing as much stuff as possible, and cleaning). But we made it off the farm! Sabbatical tour 2026 has started!
I'll post more details as I figure them out, but looking forward to seeing a few of you at my talks in the coming months! (Mostly in New Zealand, but possibly public talks in Vancouver/Victoria BC as well).
Prof. Sam Lawler3 hours of working outside (including carrying literally a ton of chicken feed in 20kg increments) in -25C temperatures has earned me almost as good of a beard as my dad, who frequently gets mistaken for Santa Claus.
Prof. Sam LawlerAlso, the guy who delivered the chicken feed recognized my voice from local radio interviewing me about astronomy stuff all the time! "Oh!! You're the astronomer!!" (Yes there's only one professional research astronomer in Saskatchewan, so he wasn't exaggerating).
(And he definitely didn't recognize my face, because I was cleverly disguised as Santa Claus)
Prof. Sam Lawler3 hours of working outside (including carrying literally a ton of chicken feed in 20kg increments) in -25C temperatures has earned me almost as good of a beard as my dad, who frequently gets mistaken for Santa Claus.
Prof. Sam LawlerI have doubts about whether or not change.org petitions actually do anything. But if you need to do something small right now against space mirrors, a DarkSky International member set up a petition here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-space-mirrors
Prof. Sam LawlerDarkSky International just posted their position letter on Reflect Orbital. It is direct and to the point:
"Based on current scientific evidence, DarkSky does not see a viable pathway for such systems to align with responsible lighting principles or with our mission to protect natural darkness. These systems would introduce significant ecological, human health, safety, and astronomical risks at a global scale."
Read their letter and add your name here:
https://darksky.org/news/organizational-statement-reflect-orbital/
Prof. Sam LawlerTo clarify, I don't think this is at all catastrophic. Just bad. Making orbit less safe with every explosion. Making that CRASH Clock a little shorter, giving operators a little less time to respond, requiring more tracking, more maneuvers, and increasing operating risks in orbit.
Prof. Sam LawlerI look at https://spaceweather.com/ all the time to check for auroras. Pretty cool to see a paper I'm a co-author on featured there!!
Prof. Sam LawlerSo much snow
Prof. Sam LawlerAlso the dog house has a removable roof, so I was able to get a picture of the 3 goats, who are still happily snuggled in there.
Prof. Sam LawlerSchool buses are cancelled again (they really really should have just cancelled school this whole week), I had to dig through large snowdrifts to open 2 different gates (again), and there were 3 goats snuggled together inside one doghouse. [something something 3 goat night]
AAAhhhhhhhh so much to do today!!!! Wish me luck.
Prof. Sam LawlerSo much snow
Prof. Sam LawlerOh hooray, another Alberta Clipper for tomorrow. Alberta still blows.
Doesn't look like this one will qualify as a full-on blizzard...between this weather and so many students being sick, they really just should have cancelled school for the whole week. Sigh.
Prof. Sam LawlerSchool buses are cancelled again (they really really should have just cancelled school this whole week), I had to dig through large snowdrifts to open 2 different gates (again), and there were 3 goats snuggled together inside one doghouse. [something something 3 goat night]
AAAhhhhhhhh so much to do today!!!! Wish me luck.
Prof. Sam LawlerOk hive mind: I have a really great sourdough starter going, and I'm leaving for 3 months. Do I save it or plan to start it over again when I get back? (I started this one from flour and water, so I know it can be done)