Merry MagAO-Xmas

Wow, it’s December already! As These Unprecedented Times continue, our 2020B telescope observation plans are sadly canceled. Still, how ever you celebrate the end of year holiday season, whether it’s winter (like us norteamericanos) or summer (like our colleagues in Chile), whether you observe religious traditions or merely a secular prayer to the S-I-R model this year, we wish you all the best.

Lab tradition dictates the hanging of stockings by the P.I.’s office, though after months of remote work I’ve heard doubts that he is real.

Let there be no doubt: he is real, and he knows if you’ve been bad or good.

Picture of christmas stockings hanging from the bulletin board in the hall outside Jared's office
Your name doesn’t have to start with “J” to work in this lab… but it helps! (Thanks to Logan Pearce for the photo)

As this is the only observational data in hand from MagAO-Xmas 2020B, I would like to share some observations of MagAO-Xmas 2019B. Last year, Jhen and Lauren placed the prints on Jared’s office door as ornaments for his return.

Christmas decorations on Jared's office door, including a cutout of a tree with multiple miniature framed pictures as ornaments.
(Thanks to Jhen Lumbres for the photo)

But until now these observations have been circulated internally as (Long, Lumbres, Schatz, in prep.). Finally, we can share them with a wider audience!

We present for your enjoyment some MagAO-Xmas holiday snaps from 2019B.

Vizcacha perched under the eaves of a building with a photoshopped Santa Claus hat
A festive Vizzy wishes you a merry MagAO-Xmas
Laird unveils the MagAO-X tail plate, but with a photoshopped Santa Claus hat.
A festive Laird unwraps his present
Jared surveys the rocky mountainside, looking into the distant Atacama with a photoshopped Santa Claus hat.
A festive Jared surveys the scene for vizcachas
Guanaco in profile with a photoshopped Santa Claus hat.
A festive Gary wishes you a merry MagAO-Xmas too
Olivier Guyon working on his laptop while perched awkwardly on a chair (with a photoshopped Santa Claus hat).
According to legend, Olivier Guyon can fly all the way around the globe in a single night, delivering presents to all the good engineers and scientists.
Olivier Guyon standing on the telescope platform with a knife in hand (and a photoshopped Santa Claus hat on his head).
Not the bad engineers and scientists, though.
Jared, Laird, and a Las Campanas engineer move the foil-wrapped MagAO-X instrument on a cart. They're wearing photoshopped Santa Claus hats, and the MagAO-X instrument has a photoshopped bow on it.
Santa’s little helpers delivering the best present of all.

It’s been a strange and stressful year, but maybe the true meaning of MagAO-Xmas is not telescope time or conference presentations. Maybe MagAO-Xmas is really about the friends we share it with*!

*Over Zoom or whatever. We’re responsible that way.

Your song of the day

What could be more appropriate than a band called The Decemberists singing something called “Calamity Song”?

“Calamity Song” by The Decemberists