I agreed to do a film shoot tomorrow for a university promotion thing, where they wanted me to set up a telescope and look "professorial".
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I agreed to do a film shoot tomorrow for a university promotion thing, where they wanted me to set up a telescope and look "professorial". I figured as long as I was setting up a telescope anyway, I might as well do some sidewalk astronomy with a solar filter for whoever walks by.
And then they sent out a university-wide email inviting everyone to come look through a telescope at the sun. I guess I'm going to set up TWO telescopes and hope that someone else will show up who can help me...
That would need special filters I suppose. I converted an old telephoto lens into an 'eclipse observatory' by putting a lid on the lens with just a very small hole and then projecting the image of the sun (minus what was covered by the moon) on a piece of paper.
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> and look "professorial"
Is this their indirect way of saying "please leave your goats at home for this one"?!
@neil Dang it would be SO MUCH FUN to have my goats on campus!
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@neil Dang it would be SO MUCH FUN to have my goats on campus!
@sundogplanets @neil do they not have a „bring your kids to work“ day?
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@sundogplanets @neil do they not have a „bring your kids to work“ day?
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@sundogplanets @neil do they not have a „bring your kids to work“ day?
This is an exceptionally good joke. Bravo.
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I'm extremely glad there are a couple of sunspots right now. This would be way funnier if there weren't any sunspots.
"Come look at.... a circle! Look how circular it is!"
Yay the physics department head called me this morning to confirm that he will be there and he will also round up some physics grad students to help me. Hooray for excellent department heads!
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I agreed to do a film shoot tomorrow for a university promotion thing, where they wanted me to set up a telescope and look "professorial". I figured as long as I was setting up a telescope anyway, I might as well do some sidewalk astronomy with a solar filter for whoever walks by.
And then they sent out a university-wide email inviting everyone to come look through a telescope at the sun. I guess I'm going to set up TWO telescopes and hope that someone else will show up who can help me...
Me: oh no a poor astronomer had a campus wide email sent out promising that she would do sidewalk sun astronomy.
@erl: sounds like something that would happen to @sundogplanets
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Me: oh no a poor astronomer had a campus wide email sent out promising that she would do sidewalk sun astronomy.
@erl: sounds like something that would happen to @sundogplanets
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I agreed to do a film shoot tomorrow for a university promotion thing, where they wanted me to set up a telescope and look "professorial". I figured as long as I was setting up a telescope anyway, I might as well do some sidewalk astronomy with a solar filter for whoever walks by.
And then they sent out a university-wide email inviting everyone to come look through a telescope at the sun. I guess I'm going to set up TWO telescopes and hope that someone else will show up who can help me...
Some years ago there was a total lunar eclipse, with nicely clear summer skies forecasted. And several major planets visible at the same time. @hausderastronomie announced that there would be a few telescopes downtown in a park – which got printed in the local newspaper.
I joined, so we had 3 scopes, and several 100 people turned up! With blankets and food and drinks. And so people queued for looking at planets and watched the eclipse through binoculars. Great experience!
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Yay the physics department head called me this morning to confirm that he will be there and he will also round up some physics grad students to help me. Hooray for excellent department heads!
Good news
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Sun not impressed - why take picture when breaking out
@DavidM_yeg @robpike @sundogplanets
"Just for that, I'm going to throw some plasma at you" -
Yay the physics department head called me this morning to confirm that he will be there and he will also round up some physics grad students to help me. Hooray for excellent department heads!
...and now I also have to meet with the university provost at the telescope too! And get headshots taken in addition to filming! (Special thank you to my queer fedi-friend who let me send her photos so she could vet my outfit for filming/headshots, because I am bad at choosing clothes).
How did today get to be so... MUCH...
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...and now I also have to meet with the university provost at the telescope too! And get headshots taken in addition to filming! (Special thank you to my queer fedi-friend who let me send her photos so she could vet my outfit for filming/headshots, because I am bad at choosing clothes).
How did today get to be so... MUCH...
@sundogplanets You've got this!
Coffee may help
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...and now I also have to meet with the university provost at the telescope too! And get headshots taken in addition to filming! (Special thank you to my queer fedi-friend who let me send her photos so she could vet my outfit for filming/headshots, because I am bad at choosing clothes).
How did today get to be so... MUCH...
@sundogplanets This is great! No big lead time to worry over it, just doing the thing you are good at (with an audience). Awesome to get it all over in one go while getting a chance to show your value to the admin and give them a heads up on the issue.
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...and now I also have to meet with the university provost at the telescope too! And get headshots taken in addition to filming! (Special thank you to my queer fedi-friend who let me send her photos so she could vet my outfit for filming/headshots, because I am bad at choosing clothes).
How did today get to be so... MUCH...
Ok that was a bit much, but was all quite fun. But the highlight was definitely when I stopped at the feed store on the way home (yes I had a fancy telescope and chicken feed in the back of my car at the same time. I'm cool like that.)
The guy at the feed store said "So this is a stupid question, but since you're an astronomer I'm going to ask it anyway. Does Elon Musk really have so much money that he launched an astronaut dummy in a Tesla on a rocket?"
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Ok that was a bit much, but was all quite fun. But the highlight was definitely when I stopped at the feed store on the way home (yes I had a fancy telescope and chicken feed in the back of my car at the same time. I'm cool like that.)
The guy at the feed store said "So this is a stupid question, but since you're an astronomer I'm going to ask it anyway. Does Elon Musk really have so much money that he launched an astronaut dummy in a Tesla on a rocket?"
RE: https://mastodon.ie/@psneeze/117117444546244052
Also while I was frantically running between telescopes and students and photographers, the physics department head showed me on his phone that the cover article for Scientific American this month is "The Battle for the Night Sky" without knowing that the very first sentence in the article is about me!
Another great article about the situation in orbit by @astrojonny.bsky.social!
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Ok that was a bit much, but was all quite fun. But the highlight was definitely when I stopped at the feed store on the way home (yes I had a fancy telescope and chicken feed in the back of my car at the same time. I'm cool like that.)
The guy at the feed store said "So this is a stupid question, but since you're an astronomer I'm going to ask it anyway. Does Elon Musk really have so much money that he launched an astronaut dummy in a Tesla on a rocket?"
@sundogplanets I think he could literally buy every new car normally sold in the US for a year and still have plenty leftover
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RE: https://mastodon.ie/@psneeze/117117444546244052
Also while I was frantically running between telescopes and students and photographers, the physics department head showed me on his phone that the cover article for Scientific American this month is "The Battle for the Night Sky" without knowing that the very first sentence in the article is about me!
Another great article about the situation in orbit by @astrojonny.bsky.social!
"Seven years ago, when Samantha Lawler moved to rural Saskatchewan to run a farm with her partner, the glorious darkness overhead was one of the biggest perks. Undiminished by light pollution, countless stars filled the night sky. It was a pristine celestial view that city dwellers can only dream of seeing. That matters a lot to Lawler, who studies the universe as an astronomer at the nearby University of Regina when she’s not tending goats and chickens."
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RE: https://mastodon.ie/@psneeze/117117444546244052
Also while I was frantically running between telescopes and students and photographers, the physics department head showed me on his phone that the cover article for Scientific American this month is "The Battle for the Night Sky" without knowing that the very first sentence in the article is about me!
Another great article about the situation in orbit by @astrojonny.bsky.social!
@sundogplanets @astrojonny.bsky.social Wow, way to go!
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"Seven years ago, when Samantha Lawler moved to rural Saskatchewan to run a farm with her partner, the glorious darkness overhead was one of the biggest perks. Undiminished by light pollution, countless stars filled the night sky. It was a pristine celestial view that city dwellers can only dream of seeing. That matters a lot to Lawler, who studies the universe as an astronomer at the nearby University of Regina when she’s not tending goats and chickens."
