2026-03-22T23:44:29Z https://yabu.me Prof. Sam Lawler https://yabu.me/npub1dgcla3rthltveuxzp7pvnu6rzug2076hhu9dwq8axzmg8r7jvcmq82cla4 https://files.mastodon.social/accounts/avatars/108/194/428/751/240/116/original/f1eb397ab1659575.jpeg https://files.mastodon.social/accounts/avatars/108/194/428/751/240/116/original/f1eb397ab1659575.jpeg https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsv5ueulg0v2mx0rvlxxxn3z5tkshxcxjsl9qqauhnhf9q6m005amgzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvknyf3s In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsgftetj43a4du98vwlw8xq6q67l8vaugrqjtx3npj8vnw6vccdkmqp6fv3p'>nevent1q…fv3p</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Confirmed! It&#39;s a Starlink! Prof. Peter Brown found it in Global Meteor Network data (it maybe was even in my meteor camera! If it was running properly... his team is digging through data now)<br/><br/>Starlink 1066, burned up from Calgary through to mid-Saskatchewan. Now the real question, did it dump debris onto Saskatchewan like at least one other Starlink satellite and a Crew Dragon Trunk last year?<br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/255/840/718/936/606/original/c953294622e0b3d0.png"> <br/> 2025-09-23T21:58:32Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsyqlrjmunt8j9dm5973m8xakkrv4q5chlvtn6kdyevhs8ln38e9pszyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvu7w5su In my (severely neglected) inbox this morning, I have an email from a journalist asking about &#34;planet Y&#34; which means I probably have to sit down and read the latest totally-not-Planet-9 paper, written by a lead author who sets off alarm bells for me because they wrote a bunch of the `Oumuamua-is-totally-an-alien-spaceship papers with That Attention-Seeking Harvard Prof.<br/><br/>Vague enough for you? I need more caffeine. 2025-09-23T13:38:33Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsw5hzc307kvag25j59wfxty56gwpw4gvkfq9dfdjv8fhta968vejczyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvlzewgd Send me good vibes to *productively* yell about Reflect Orbital (and all the other stupid stuff happening in orbit) in this next meeting, to plot a course for how to best fight them all. Small goals. Ha. 2025-09-22T18:52:22Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqstlgqvsdsc8yjqal6svkr9yuy5e3lwlwwujc6qs0k84uaa57p8t5gzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvadrlua Fediverse! I need some help!<br/><br/>I have a fellowship to go to Aotearoa New Zealand for a few weeks, and also an offer of an additional fellowship to give lectures around NZ. This is INCREDIBLY EXCITING!!<br/><br/>...but I have a lot of animals! And it&#39;s going to be during Saskatchewan winter! The potential farm sitters I&#39;ve reached out to locally have all fallen through, so I need help to find someone.<br/><br/>Not sure if I should put out an actual farm sitting job ad here? Or if there are better places to try?<br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/231/377/515/371/243/original/795cc252e7e5bab7.png"> <br/> 2025-09-19T14:16:45Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsz5fv6wwwsllc67snudg385l0hqlzyduu2eumekpj0jyjapgy7lhczyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvjle5wp I&#39;m on Fireside Fedi right now!<br/><br/><a href="https://social.firesidefedi.live/@firesidefedi/statuses/01K5C6K5R1MCXX4AC47CCRY50E">https://social.firesidefedi.live/@firesidefedi/statuses/01K5C6K5R1MCXX4AC47CCRY50E</a> 2025-09-17T16:04:22Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgdjawvycpr3qa0lae4eup8evex68cw3t26209ry2skhzu2tygwfqzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvc7k0ak Ooooo hellooooo auroras! Please keep going until it gets dark here!<br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/205/575/565/681/785/original/4177ba49555aefcc.png"> <br/> 2025-09-15T00:53:41Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsxd5syv6e8mgmvhjd5qghwp3xphed07nhwv2l93shmakmtdxku3eczyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrv9qusna Good job amateur radio operators for your letter writing campaign to the FCC! <a href="https://www.openresearch.institute/2025/09/12/defending-amateur-radio-spectrum-the-ast-spacemobile-battle-continues/">https://www.openresearch.institute/2025/09/12/defending-amateur-radio-spectrum-the-ast-spacemobile-battle-continues/</a><br/><br/>AST SpaceMobile is now only allowed to have 20 satellites use amateur radio bands for operations for 24 hours at a time, when other bands are full. Definitely not a full victory but ...I guess... it&#39;s as good as you can hope for with the FCC handing everything over absolutely anything satellite companies ask for right now.<br/><br/>Keep fighting! AST SpaceMobile is awful. 2025-09-14T15:49:21Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs92zy6eraplcfpga4ukp6qplq28kfkkyecatvauujv3ptqkqmulnqzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvwp6w8l That was 2 full hours of mostly talking about all the ways Reflect Orbital (and inevitable copycat sats) are terrible for astronomy (and ecology, and public safety...) and our limited ways to fight that. I need to go rage scream in the hay field now. 2025-09-10T19:03:09Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszlxle84psrmzdffywym404cam9nh8rgkqydfhu6fqmny4sy9a4dgzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvunh8sw I just saw a gigantic flock of grackles, gathering together to fly to warmer places. Always gives me a weird mixture of hope and dread to see the birds leaving for the winter...<br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/176/431/504/042/246/original/d61a55d4f37cfd53.png"> <br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/176/432/543/889/511/original/ff98b7ace37603c0.png"> <br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/176/433/648/950/274/original/8bbb278063cb559a.png"> <br/> 2025-09-09T21:23:26Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsq0h7jqtv33gven5wq7g0ra3vnv99g4zapvn6yrdyn7em3uyf82lgzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvcrx3ru Outside thermometer said -3C when I went out to the barn for morning milking. Going to go salvage the remainder of the field tomatoes now, because I&#39;m sure the plants frosted and died overnight. At least there&#39;s still a few plants in the greenhouse that should live a couple more weeks (maybe longer?) 2025-09-06T14:54:29Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsqaxhjayfcauu4907e4vfj2s5wnhfynqgpsq0zvw6568yz6v9ngfgzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvpg4pkj Fun fact of the day: when goats and llamas eat whole apples, they look like they are singing opera.<br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/143/258/891/714/332/original/42ee31962f0f7bc7.png"> <br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/143/259/760/108/588/original/ba925612c00d2def.png"> <br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/143/261/150/829/759/original/46edda0e5cac2c72.png"> <br/> 2025-09-04T00:47:46Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsye9p67mzmtm57zzmrakynehcrjar20ft9254avethck0g5kmtw9gzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvux94az In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsv6qty95nzc56vcgvylqdqlwnl5ssamglgukxrupk7gkvq30p0s9skvqy6f'>nevent1q…qy6f</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>That is the best source! But the analogy I&#39;ve heard a lot is that forecasting auroras is like trying to predict the weather in your town with 3 thermometers scattered across the whole continent. There&#39;s just not enough data to predict exactly what auroras will happen from any given solar storm!<br/><br/>We&#39;re close to the equinox so that might give the storm a little boost. Odds are good, and tomorrow night is supposed to be even better (in theory) 2025-09-02T01:09:56Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsptuplma4cjkjvls26x8tufwfm5xsu5j7qh9lp9t2mnvn5ftntr0gzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvz8g4lq In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs9sle4aepuhle3e8h8nu2ed3f2k38tx9mqv4jjfrun4zq3t3sdwqqv9l9n9'>nevent1q…l9n9</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Auroras are coming tonight!!!<br/><br/><a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g2-moderate-g3-strong-geomagnetic-storm-watch-0102-sep-2025">https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g2-moderate-g3-strong-geomagnetic-storm-watch-0102-sep-2025</a><br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/129/620/047/797/100/original/29358c97ccfbbc3d.png"> <br/> 2025-09-01T14:57:00Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9sle4aepuhle3e8h8nu2ed3f2k38tx9mqv4jjfrun4zq3t3sdwqqzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvacgyue Yes yes yes YES YES YES auroras incoming!! Current prediction for Monday night, probably continuing through Tuesday night<br/><br/><a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/what-know-about-labor-day-night-g2-g3-storm-watches">https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/what-know-about-labor-day-night-g2-g3-storm-watches</a> 2025-08-31T22:36:22Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs86kcuvhk02ngy99mjpkfhhrt8jjlt6ju4m2egcmxl7gtkxz60cugzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvkjeq7p So remember how a few days ago I shared this official Starlink document that just casually mentions that they found a piece of a Starlink satellite on a farm in Saskatchewan? <a href="https://www.starlink.com/public-files/Starlink_Approach_to_Satellite_Demisability.pdf">https://www.starlink.com/public-files/Starlink_Approach_to_Satellite_Demisability.pdf</a> <br/><br/>I had really convinced myself it must be some kind of chatgpt gobbledygook. But... a reliable source confirmed that this really happened. 2025-03-14T16:21:20Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsfh8jka7ysvwx3wpyacy0wrwz59fr9r4e45cgc5qm538uhwhd4ycqzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvmd0yg0 Just had a meeting with my group of collaborators working on calculating collision timescales of satellites and junk in orbit. I keep convincing myself &#34;oh I&#39;m exaggerating it can&#39;t possibly be that dangerous.&#34; But uh. It&#39;s really bad, guys. <br/><br/>I&#39;m not going to say any numbers until the calculations are peer-reviewed. But I will say that I after talking about it for an hour, I need to go stand in the middle of the hayfield and rage-scream. 2025-02-26T20:54:54Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs8fqmdlvzse5vqq4e234xdgyg53achz5m5yjpzpw3jn63pqwl2fkczyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrv0mvefu There&#39;s so much snow this morning that I had to dig the giant 1000-lb hay bale out of the snow so the goats could keep eating. <br/><br/>We need this snow, it&#39;s great! (...I keep telling myself as I dread all the shoveling I need to do later today to get better access to the barn, and the chicken coop, and the goat pen...) 2025-02-06T13:17:56Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsdkn2ng8qvmyl2wlduw3htu6jtdnxwquzz3wvntzaxyvaka457rdczyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrv0u8xzg In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsgmq5ld2fscel7tslq6zgkwrp2h9mmuq4jra9u4dz4huwfctp6ctcp4uq0a'>nevent1q…uq0a</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>To no one&#39;s surprise, people on the fediverse have some big feelings about Fortran.<br/><br/>(I&#39;m here for it, fellow nerds) 2025-02-05T13:15:37Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgmq5ld2fscel7tslq6zgkwrp2h9mmuq4jra9u4dz4huwfctp6ctczyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvnl4p3u I got some fortran code to run! Please clap<br/><br/>Also holy cow fortran is so fast. This is why we&#39;re still using it... sigh. 2025-02-05T00:17:35Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsg7shc4qt74hzlg3nre9gsjyyyx6tnv3kvzy885xw96a22fmrp8nszyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvdw49kd In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsq7335p24mnk2umxgazw3665a4xp8mhdj9699h2twcuzzju5x6zrqg5j9ra'>nevent1q…j9ra</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>HAHAHAHA now I have a 3rd, in person interview about the space junk Tesla, after I pick up my kids from school for local TV. My life is hilarious. 2025-01-29T16:13:26Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsq7335p24mnk2umxgazw3665a4xp8mhdj9699h2twcuzzju5x6zrqzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvexh3yl In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsgea0p53taswm26gx0letkg8y7qd5dkm0ez2wtf0fs8nhmmd38rvg0x2d3u'>nevent1q…2d3u</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>First interview done. Didn&#39;t get to talk about the 22% collision chance with Earth, but did talk about how you can see satellites and space junk with your eyes.<br/><br/>Active satellites look like stars that are moving across the sky, space junk will be flashing because it&#39;s tumbling. (Not coloured like from an airplane, just white flashes).<br/><br/>Anyway... maybe a few more people will be inspired to go out and look up and see how many damn satellites there are.<br/><br/>Next interview in 4 hours. I&#39;m tired. 2025-01-29T14:09:14Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgea0p53taswm26gx0letkg8y7qd5dkm0ez2wtf0fs8nhmmd38rvgzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvfvrtef In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsq7pjf3xuryamc3ceeaj3475glgl2xxmu03x03c5rdsuray430s8qjm97wj'>nevent1q…97wj</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>In case you were wondering, <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/npub166javys939pzl8unxz9j6rw2d7d3ffyrvnye59jquuxa0gyw508ss29nxq" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>Hanno Rein</span> (<span class="italic">npub166j…9nxq</span>)</a></span> and collaborators calculated a few years ago that there&#39;s a 22% chance the space-junk-Tesla will collide with Earth in the next 15 million years, and basically zero chance of hitting Mars. First close encounter with Earth is in about 100 years.<br/><br/>Mars sucks! (Or more truthfully, it really doesn&#39;t suck, gravitationally speaking.)<br/><br/><a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1802.04718">https://arxiv.org/pdf/1802.04718</a> 2025-01-29T13:26:28Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsq7pjf3xuryamc3ceeaj3475glgl2xxmu03x03c5rdsuray430s8qzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvf4kwhf Radio interview in half an hour, and I am so incredibly tired this morning. I sure hope this tea is magic so I can effectively teach people about space junk. (And then do it again later today for a different local radio show). 2025-01-29T13:04:49Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2gnsz3zxe9z446erqxj9wpqcqn63l5ft83fh3k0ut0pykdnprhvszyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvteypvr Oh what a beautifully written rant<br/><br/>&#34;The fantasy—and it is a fantasy—isn&#39;t one of space travel and exploration and some bright Star Trek future for humanity, but one of winnowing and eugenics, of cold actuarial lifeboat logic, of ever greater reallocation from the dwindling many to the thriving few. That&#39;s the world as Elon Musk and his cohort want it; Mars colonization is just a pretext.&#34;<br/><br/><a href="https://defector.com/neither-elon-musk-nor-anybody-else-will-ever-colonize-mars">https://defector.com/neither-elon-musk-nor-anybody-else-will-ever-colonize-mars</a> 2024-09-12T16:41:29Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsx634m8d47m0drpptja0rsquqesjj0aam6hykffgxxhnrf88r88nczyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvcmyssc In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs9plc2c3xnvkyg38x36scqyr5h3cwwycwk4y7sg58vlkvgqt8recqnrcue5'>nevent1q…cue5</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Yeah, I saw dozens of them last night while stargazing from super dark skies :( The vast majority of satellites you can see with your eyes are Starlinks. 2024-09-02T16:24:23Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsg0g445x63me6dtshlgjkrfppjrt7te53v9nygex8sg553dertchgzyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvz2s50p In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqszz24097z70cuerj0fpvysg68x5zg0nktc42tuu87gyj07uww4n3s82u7l3'>nevent1q…u7l3</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>The Kessler Syndrome can definitely happen at Starlink orbital altitudes. Debris from 550 km atlitudes takes a few decades to deorbit &#34;naturally&#34;. That&#39;s a long time to not be able to use Low Earth Orbit if they make a mistake. And they plan to launch tens of thousands more satellites into that same orbital shell, which is already the densest part of orbit. It&#39;s really bad. 2024-09-02T16:19:20Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswkjh4z9jrc9p4rv7m6damkx07sk078j0znrqk7mnwggqd08fsdnczyp4rrlkydwladn8scg8c9j0ngvt3pflm27ls44cql5ctdqu06fnrvwm53a2 The Weather Canada radar page is very fancy and nice and all, but my old computer and semi-shitty rural internet often have a hard time loading it. Is there a lower bandwidth website with good radar info?<br/><br/>...I ask as I hope for thunderstorms to appear on the radar page that won&#39;t load... 2024-08-21T21:23:27Z