Notices by Prof. Sam Lawler (sundogplanets@mastodon.social)

Too bad it has to be super cold for it to be this pretty

This just never gets old.

It's nice and warm out, and the 2 new baby goats are really healthy, so they got to go out and meet their herdmates. (Their herdmates were EXTREMELY interested in meeting them, hilariously, especially the llama)

COOL! The spicy article I wrote about satellite pollution is FINALLY published! "Bright satellites are disrupting astronomy research worldwide" in Nature News & Views.

This article required weeks of back-and-forth with the editor, the editor-in-chief, and Nature's lawyers, so I hope that means it's a good one.

During this process, I learned that satellite companies are so powerful and litigious that even giant publishers like Nature are terrified of getting sued. Which is...rather worrying.

Just got an email from first Nature editor I talked to about writing this piece, and they thanked me for writing it and apologized for the fact that my rage got toned-down by Nature's lawyers. Interesting!

Ended by saying that they are glad they're retiring soon because they are scared that ground-based astronomy will be dead in 5 years and I should keep fighting.

That's high in the running for the most depressing conclusion to an email I've ever received. Wow.

Free author link here! https://rdcu.be/drQOU

Paywalled article here, I'll share once I have a non-paywalled link (hopefully soon): https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03610-5

The summary: astronomers spent a lot of time asking SpaceX and other large satellite operators to pretty please make their satellites fainter and/or use fewer satellites. And then BlueWalker 3 was launched by some tiny company and is one of the brightest things in the sky. Asking nicely isn't working: international regulation and pollution penalties are needed.

Hey cool, apparently when you write something for Nature they send you a free paper copy! Kinda neat to see my name in there.

I sincerely hope my article makes someone in power think a little harder about the lack of regulations in orbit (but I'm not holding my breath...I'll keep fighting)

The free link to read the article is a couple posts up-thread, if you are interested and haven't already read it.

Good morning from the land of puppies and pretty sunrises

Puppies needed a snuggle nap (on top of my partner) after all that exploring.

Important update: the puppies are still extremely cute.

WE HAVE PUPPIES

THIS IS NOT A DRILL

Puppy second dinner. Should tide them over until morning (more cute pictures tomorrow, I'm sure)

They played for a bit after eating, then slowly accreted into a big puppy pile and went to sleep!

Puppy bedtime

These guys will eventually be adoptable through this rescue: https://www.pawsandclawsyorkton.ca/category/dogs/

Puppy update: stlll ridiculously cute this morning (of course)

There's a smaller bowl in the bigger dog food bowl with puppy food soaked in fresh warm goat milk that you can't see because of puppy accretion.

Llama interlude

Puppy outdoor explorations

Taking a break from farm stuff to make myself do some severely overdue grading (and...apparently check mastodon...)

I successfully moved the llama in with all the other 4-legged animals, and everyone is totally happy! No escapes this time! Phew.

Also harvested a LOT of carrots (and beets, but the beets came out teeny tiny this year).

Still some more oh-no-winter-starts-on-tuesday chores but I'm feeling much less frantic about it.

Only 50 words over the limit now, and much more focused text (I think)! But I still have 2 more people's comments to read through and incorporate...