We haven’t seen a cloud yet on this run, but that doesn’t mean we’re sitting pretty. MagAO-X is highly optimized for highly optimal conditions, and these ain’t that. Don’t take it from me, take it from the conditions plot:
After a promising start, everything went to heck. I’d love to tell you about the stuff we observed, but the results are embargoed. (By poor seeing, mostly.)
We did use the ultra-secret ghost-busted g band filter (seen previously here). It’s been a huge hit, and Jay’s already shared early reductions of the HR 4796A debris disk in 500-ish nm light (see Parker’s post).
People love the g’ band filter, Jared. All the science on this run came from that little filter on a stick!
Prof. Laird Close, Ph.D.
In other news, we got a special delivery today: Dr. Logan Pearce, and her student Emi Reith from the University of Michigan. Here they are aboard the Plane Train™:
Here they are, 13 hours later, after entering Chile:
Meanwhile, back on the plain trane, trouble’s a-comin’:
That’s right, we’re expecting a shipment of Josh, Katie, and Eden in the near future. When, exactly? Well, there’s the unprecedented global situation, the vagaries of air travel, possible tariffs on Josh… This is a very complicated case. You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous. And, uh, a lotta strands to keep in my head, man.
Movie of the Night
Today’s movie quote was from The Big Lebowski. Alas, it’s the only quote from there I could come up with without excessive swearing. This is what happens when you when you find a stranger in the Alps!
Song of the Day
Life is like spaghetti
It’s hard until you make it
No stresso, no stresso
It’s gonna be espresso!
Finally, some authentic Italian Estonian culture for our friend Elena Tonucci.
Noteworthy Utterances of the Moment
“Laird, do you have an opinion on—”
Laird: “The answer is almost certainly yes”
“What is the point of burros, anyway? Like a bunch of little trucks left to roam the landscape”
“You can eat almost everything”
“Well, some things you can only eat once“
“What would be the easiest way to add that?”
“Get someone else to do it.”
“Maybe we could get Jared to blog?”
Jared: “Probably not.”