Now time to get ready for a CBC Sask video interview that I'm somehow supposed to do in my friends' house that is nearly completely full of small knickknacks (mostly elephant figurines) and every wall has hilariously garish 70's wallpaper, and where everyone is still asleep. Wish me luck... #ProfSamLectureTour
Now I'm at a public library (wooo libraries!) because the observatory in Victoria doesn't have a functional guest network and it's a federal facility so there aren't other options. My phone is nearly out of data after tethering all week... so I'll do a couple of zoom meetings from here. (Was a little disappointed this library doesn't have a meeting room I can use, but it's not currently raining and it's not super cold so I can sit outside)
Lastly, join groups who are already fighting. For all of you reading this (statistically mostly non-astronomers), I most highly recommend DarkSky International. They are a fantastic group doing great work!
As an example, please sign this open letter from DarkSky protesting against Reflect Orbital, which will be sent both to the company and to their fucking terrible investors: https://darksky.org/news/organizational-statement-reflect-orbital/
And get ready to write to the FCC when that comment period opens!
Now time to get ready for a CBC Sask video interview that I'm somehow supposed to do in my friends' house that is nearly completely full of small knickknacks (mostly elephant figurines) and every wall has hilariously garish 70's wallpaper, and where everyone is still asleep. Wish me luck... #ProfSamLectureTour
This one applies to both amateur and professional astronomers: use your skills to show people the beautiful night sky! This is SO important to let the general public know what they are losing thanks to the billionaire space race.
So many astronomers donate their time to public observing nights and star walks and just setting up their telescopes in random places and letting people look through them and sharing beautiful astrophotos. THANK YOU! Keep doing it!!
Lastly, join groups who are already fighting. For all of you reading this (statistically mostly non-astronomers), I most highly recommend DarkSky International. They are a fantastic group doing great work!
As an example, please sign this open letter from DarkSky protesting against Reflect Orbital, which will be sent both to the company and to their fucking terrible investors: https://darksky.org/news/organizational-statement-reflect-orbital/
And get ready to write to the FCC when that comment period opens!
Talk to your friends and family about what is happening in orbit – most people have no idea the scale of unregulated commercialization that's now happening.
Tell your local/state/provincial/federal government representatives to support alternative ways of accessing internet (cell towers, new fibreoptic lines). Rural internet is crappy because of decades of underfunding rural infrastructure development.
This one applies to both amateur and professional astronomers: use your skills to show people the beautiful night sky! This is SO important to let the general public know what they are losing thanks to the billionaire space race.
So many astronomers donate their time to public observing nights and star walks and just setting up their telescopes in random places and letting people look through them and sharing beautiful astrophotos. THANK YOU! Keep doing it!!
If you do not have alternatives (I live in rural Canada, I know how crappy rural internet is), tell Starlink, as a paying customer, that you want them to do a better job with orbital safety, atmospheric pollution, and light pollution. Tell them you want their satellites to be smaller, and you want them to provide service with fewer satellites.
They will listen more to you as a paying customer than to me as a complaining astronomer.
Talk to your friends and family about what is happening in orbit – most people have no idea the scale of unregulated commercialization that's now happening.
Tell your local/state/provincial/federal government representatives to support alternative ways of accessing internet (cell towers, new fibreoptic lines). Rural internet is crappy because of decades of underfunding rural infrastructure development.
Here's my list of actions (which I frame carefully by saying "when I hear a depressing talk, I want a list of things I can do myself immediately. If you are like that, pick one or two of these and run with it! If not, no guilt!")
Giant, powerful corporations like SpaceX will respond to only 2 things: legislation (which is very slow, and is now totally not going to happen in the US), and consumer pressure.
If you have alternatives, DO NOT USE STARLINK.
If you do not have alternatives (I live in rural Canada, I know how crappy rural internet is), tell Starlink, as a paying customer, that you want them to do a better job with orbital safety, atmospheric pollution, and light pollution. Tell them you want their satellites to be smaller, and you want them to provide service with fewer satellites.
They will listen more to you as a paying customer than to me as a complaining astronomer.
But the talk for professionals ended with mostly stunned silence and a room full of overwhelmed scientists. The week after next I'll be giving this talk to 3 physics departments, so I need to think carefully about this response.
Was it because they are all so busy that suggesting even one more thing to do is overwhelming? (Possible)
Was it because the list of actions I suggest are rather futile?
Was it climate grief, but for the night sky?
#ProfSamLectureTour
Here's my list of actions (which I frame carefully by saying "when I hear a depressing talk, I want a list of things I can do myself immediately. If you are like that, pick one or two of these and run with it! If not, no guilt!")
Giant, powerful corporations like SpaceX will respond to only 2 things: legislation (which is very slow, and is now totally not going to happen in the US), and consumer pressure.
If you have alternatives, DO NOT USE STARLINK.
This week I gave nearly the same talk to amateur astronomers (Monday) and to professional astronomers (Thursday). It's super depressing, all about satellites crashing in orbit, pieces falling on us on the ground, atmospheric pollution and how the law really doesn't help us at all with any of this.
While the talk for amateurs was depressing, everyone kept their spirits up, and seemed somewhat energized by the list of possible actions I provided at the end of the talk.
#ProfSamLectureTour
But the talk for professionals ended with mostly stunned silence and a room full of overwhelmed scientists. The week after next I'll be giving this talk to 3 physics departments, so I need to think carefully about this response.
Was it because they are all so busy that suggesting even one more thing to do is overwhelming? (Possible)
Was it because the list of actions I suggest are rather futile?
Was it climate grief, but for the night sky?
#ProfSamLectureTour
This week I gave nearly the same talk to amateur astronomers (Monday) and to professional astronomers (Thursday). It's super depressing, all about satellites crashing in orbit, pieces falling on us on the ground, atmospheric pollution and how the law really doesn't help us at all with any of this.
While the talk for amateurs was depressing, everyone kept their spirits up, and seemed somewhat energized by the list of possible actions I provided at the end of the talk.
#ProfSamLectureTour
Super busy today, but just have to quickly share that this morning, I woke up at a friend's house, under a skylight, and was delighted to see stars above me for nearly the first time this whole BC trip (lots of clouds here)!
And literally 10 seconds later, I saw a fucking Starlink train! Through the skylight!!! AUGH.
Also I am flattered that too many journalists contact me, but why did a CBC journalist ask me to comment on a spacewalk that has been cancelled due to medical concerns? (I am very much the wrong kind of Dr. to comment on medical stuff in space!!)
Prof. Sam Lawler