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OH yeah love ending my workday with a surprise National Geographic interview about the Saturn moons that I helped discover by accidentally pointing the CFHT telescope at Saturn. Definitely my most scientifically productive whoopsie ever.

128!!!! New!!! MOONS!!

Happy Moon Day!

minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25…

MPEC 2025-E153 : SIXTY-ONE NEW SATURNIAN SATELLITES

We are the official body that deals with astrometric observations and orbits of minor planets (asteroids) and comets.
minorplanetcenter.net
in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

Prof. Sam Lawler
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Prof. Sam Lawler
• •

To be very clear, I am really truly only involved in this discovery by accidentally pointing the telescope at Saturn when I was trying to look for TNOs. Edward Ashton, Brett Gladman, Mike Alexandersen, and Jean-Marc Petit did all the work!

arxiv.org/pdf/2503.07081

in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

Prof. Sam Lawler
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Prof. Sam Lawler
• •
nationalgeographic.com/science…

Saturn now has a ridiculous number of moons

Astronomers have discovered a panoply of new moons orbiting Saturn, bringing the ringed gas giant's total up to 274 moons—far beyond any other planet in our solar system.
Robin George Andrews (Science)

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in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

Prof. Sam Lawler
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Prof. Sam Lawler
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I've had like 3 co-workers text or email me about this interview this morning, so I guess I should share it. This is the one that I thought was for radio so I didn't even brush my hair. New rule for myself: always assume it's a video interview!

Came out pretty good though, overall I'm happy with it

cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.668…

in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

Prof. Sam Lawler
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Prof. Sam Lawler
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Amazingly talented fediverse astrophotographers: gorgeous, perfectly exposed and processed telescope images

Me, a professional astronomer: accidentally points a 4 meter telescope at Saturn for a series of 5 minute exposures

A really messy black and white image with an extremely bright, overexposed thing in the centre and bright vertical smudges bleeding up and down because all the pixels have filled with electrons and spilled over. This is a tiny part of a Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Megacam full camera field.

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in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

David Chartier
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David Chartier
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@aral Did… did you blow up Saturn? It’s ok this is a safe space you can tell us
@Aral Balkan
in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

Yoso
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Yoso
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This is really inspiring! 🙏 I am really interested into energy as a spiritual force! And a source of inspiration for meditative practice, reflection on consciousness, life, dearh; for my artwork and writings! According to your field of expertise, what should I been looking at? Or any library of Image I should be studying? Thank you so much for sharing!
in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

sleet01
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sleet01
• •
Does J. J. Abrams know you are coming for his lens flare crown? :)
in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

John Q McDonald
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John Q McDonald
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Let me tell you about the time I pointed CFHT at the Moon…
in reply to John Q McDonald

Prof. Sam Lawler
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Prof. Sam Lawler
• •
@jqmcd Did you actually?? That would make me feel better about Saturn blowing out my images
@John Q McDonald
in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

John Q McDonald
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John Q McDonald
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Yes, we did that. In retrospect, it was not one of my best moments at a telescope…
in reply to John Q McDonald

Prof. Sam Lawler
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Prof. Sam Lawler
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@jqmcd Thank you for sharing that! If I may ask, what were you trying to point it at when the moon got in the way?
@John Q McDonald
in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

Markus Werle
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Markus Werle
• •

So I watched your interview and found it funny, but then came this here about 6-7. Helps me get ahead of my kids.

cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.695…

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