Mastodawn

I cannot believe how many people I talked to in the last 4 days. Wow. So many good connections made! So many people roped into satellite pollution advocacy!! This is excellent.

Prof. Sam Lawler 21h ago

Elizabeth Tasker 21h ago

We are launching a rocket 🚀. Here is a live feed (launch at 09:53 JST).

This is JAXA's new H3 launch vehicle, which will launch the Martian Moons eXploration (#MMX) mission later this fiscal year. There's been a couple of failed launches, so we're all watching slightly anxiously 😅

The payload this time is payload for rocket performance verification, and some small satellites.

https://www.youtube.com/live/HSiaGTea1rc

Launch live streaming of H3 Launch Vehicle flight No.6, 30 configuration Test Vehicle（English）

YouTube

Prof. Sam Lawler 2d ago

https://www.science.org/content/article/amid-flood-ai-advances-astrophysicists-are-questioning-soul-their-field

Reading this while attending an astrophysics conference full of students is... intense, to say the least. Wow.

It makes me sad that nobody quoted in the article talked at all about the ethical concerns of where LLMs come from. All the exploitation and huge environmental costs are not even considered, apparently.

My take: scientists desperately need more training in ethics and philosophy and humanities. LLMs definitely are not going to help with that.

Prof. Sam Lawler 2d ago

Jonathan O'Callaghan 2d ago

This is an amazingly well-reported story by @[email protected]. And a wonderful use of "synecdoche". www.science.org/content/arti...

Amid a flood of AI advances, a...

Prof. Sam Lawler 3d ago

I got to thank Wilfred Buck in person for sharing his knowledge in so many recordings so I can share it with my students, and also shake his hand!! One long-standing astronomy goal achieved!

(One of his stories here, if you don't already know who he is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd18NxiH_BQ)

The Story of the Northern Lights - Wilfred Buck

YouTube

Prof. Sam Lawler 3d ago

I am feeling quite overwhelmed about all the things I've committed to doing at this conference. It'll be fun, and all good, just... too much. I'm feeling pretty tired after just one day (but to be fair, yesterday was an 8 hour board meeting, then 3 hours of talking to SO many astronomers at the reception, plus figuring out the Montreal subway in French.)

If you are in Montreal, there will be an excellent public talk tonight by Dr. Nathalie Nguyen-Quoc Ouellette! https://www.astro.umontreal.ca/casca2026/en/publictalk

CASCA 2026

Prof. Sam Lawler 3d ago

𝑮7𝑰𝙕𝑼 𝑹𝙍𝑫 3d ago

Space Policy

Researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center, reports that 73.3% of images the agency’s new SPHEREx space telescope collected between May and September of last year were contaminated by at least one artificial satellite trail.

[...] And it’s only going to get worse from here. Recent FCC filings have been made to approve up to 2 million satellites in Low Earth Orbit, as compared to the 20,000 or so currently in orbit.

Space Telescopes Are Now Overwhelmed by Satellite Trails

Unfortunately there’s more bad news to report on the clear skies front. A new paper, available in pre-print on arXiv from researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center, reports that 73.3% of images the agency’s new SPHEREx space telescope collected between May and September of last year were contaminated by at least one artificial satellite trail. And it’s only going to get worse from here.

Universe Today

Prof. Sam Lawler 3d ago

Ok train nerds: why does the green line on the Montreal subway use tires instead of metal wheels and tracks???

(Also daaaaang the Montreal green line is NICE)

Show thread

Prof. Sam Lawler 4d ago

Travel just sucks. So I will share 3 positive things:

1. The sun had just set for my 2nd flight, and I got to watch it come back up over the western horizon again as we climbed!

2. Excellent view of Venus and Jupiter over... Ottawa-ish maybe?

3. The kid sitting behind me first said he wanted to be an astronaut. Then he said he wanted to be a firefighter. Then he said he wants to make sure there are no fires in outer space. This kid is going places!

Prof. Sam Lawler 4d ago

Ericka Simone 4d ago

There is no way you can look at the overall historic and current state of the world, and still think that men, namely White men (especially from America), are fit to run anything. Men are emotionally incompetent narcissists on average. Today’s interview with president nazi proved it.

White Patriarchy has been a cancer on this society, and we are in late stage 4.