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

I just had 4 straight hours of meetings with no break ending with an interview talking about fucking space billboards which some fucking Russian company actually thinks they're going to build (the journalist is going to talk to them in a few hours).

I need to eat food, then go outside and scream for a while.

There's still a really long way to go to baby goat time on my farm (about 6 weeks until the first due dates). But the world (and me) needs some cute baby goat pictures right now, so please enjoy this ridiculously cute picture from last year.

Possible post-reentry high altitude clouds (does burned up metal count as clouds?) from @benknispel:

https://chaos.social/@benknispel/114029967906437261

oooOOOooo according to this BBC article, the SpaceX debris damaged at least one thing in Poland: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62z3vxjplpo

Time to test the Space Liability Convention!! Maybe?

I'm still a little sad the Space Liability Convention wasn't used here in Sask last year because there was no damage. But hey, there's still time! I have no doubt there are dozens of large pieces out there in the fields still waiting to damage giant tractors and combines in coming years

I'm all set now to be in the studio on Monday for the full hour of CBC Sask's lunchtime show Blue Sky https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-189-blue-sky to talk about the Saskatchewan SpaceX debris fall and space junk in general, and Jonathan McDowell will hopefully be joining by phone. Excellent!

This latest SpaceX debris fall combined with the 1 year anniversary of the SpaceX debris fall that happened here in Saskatchewan is a great excuse to stir up some news stories, I hope. I've got one lined up on my local CBC radio station next week.

Hi, journalists! Anybody want to write about the rapidly increasing rate of space junk falls?

Or does anyone have recommendations of specific journalists I should pitch to?

According to Jonathan McDowell, this is the second stage from a Starlink launch at the beginning of Feb.

They really are going to keep going like this with no regulation until space junk kills someone.

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vqtp5dj2o6rqnge56sz2db5a/post/3lijpa5vk5c23

I wonder if they'll send those same two silent dudes to Poland to pick up the pieces now?

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-02-19/polish-space-agency-checking-whether-unidentified-object-is-spacex-rocket-debris

More images of the reentry from people on the fediverse!

All sky camera reentry image from @cgbassa: https://astrodon.social/@cgbassa/114029511559121073

These pictures do not do it justice, but wow, frozen bubbles are so weird. The weirdest part is the sound they make - almost a light paper rustling kind of sound when you touch them. And they pop, but then keep holding most of their shape. SO WEIRD.

My thermometer says -42C. The goats and horse refused to leave the small barn stall. I don't blame them. (I'll try again after the sun gets a little higher in the sky)

We're well into oh-shit-weather temperatures now.

The tailgate of the farm truck was frozen shut, and after a battle to get it open, the latch is now frozen open and it won't close.

The laundry room sink is on an outside wall of the house and will probably freeze overnight (the pipes or drain freeze at least once per winter, haven't burst pipes yet *knock on wood*).

Have to be careful plugging anything in: electrical cables snap easily at these cold temps (as we were reminded today)

My animals stay warm when it's so absurdly cold with big piles of dry straw inside the barn where they can go to snuggle anytime, and access to as much hay as they want (they eat a lot more when it's this cold).

This particular pile, where they've recently exploded a hay bale, has a layer of composting old hay underneath so it's an extra warm spot to hang out.

It's surprisingly ok outside when you stand in the sun and out of the wind (hence the tall wooden fences).

Time to go check on my animals in -43 windchill.

But no, I'm definitely not regretting all the life choices that led me to live in Saskatchewan.

(June is REALLY nice! ...I keep telling myself)

You are probably all getting tired of hearing about my weather. But it's WILD. I mean, look at this!!

It's supposed to be -41C tomorrow night, and +3C on Saturday, a change of 44C in 5 days (sounds way more impressive in Fahrenheit: 79 degrees F warmer on Saturday than on Monday night!!)

I've lived here for just over 5 years and this place still stuns me with its regular, non-record-breaking weather.

It's my partner's job to do the before-bed animal check (I do the early morning check), and the closest weather station says it's currently -47 with windchill, so unless my partner yells that the auroras are amazing, I think I will go curl up under blankets with a book rather than go check on the sky...

All the goats and the horse are in one small barn stall together to stay warm overnight, the dogs are in the stall next to them. The llama is not halter trained, so he gets the big barn to himself with extra straw bedding. Chickens are closed up in their coop.

The 4 legged animals have access to heated water troughs, and the chickens have access to snow and liquid water twice a day (until it freezes). Dogs get lots of frozen eggs to eat right now because we don't collect them 10x a day.

Ok, even the people who grew up in Saskatchewan are now complaining about how cold it is.

This is dumb.

Oh gods, I just read the text part of the forecast. The windchill for tomorrow night is supposed to be -51?!! UGH

The worst I've ever experienced here is -55 windchill. Which even Weather Canada says is hazardous and you should stay inside: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/weather-health/wind-chill-cold-weather/wind-chill-index.html#toc7 (But my animals are in the barn and I need to make sure they've got as much food as they can possibly eat so they stay warm, so I don't ever get to stay inside...)

Anyway, have I mentioned that I think these temperatures are dumb?

Today I learned that moose like to eat the exact same type of willow that I like to harvest for basket making (thin, young, long stalks), because they're all eaten up!

I'm very happy to share willows with moose, I just need to find another harvesting spot where maybe the willows aren't quite so tasty to my neighbours.