Since the original Voorwerpjes sample, @galaxyzoo.org volunteers have identified more than 40 additional galaxies with confirmed AGN-ionized clouds >10 kpc from the AGN themselves, sometimes in companion galaxies. (Not even counting candidates from JWST or first-look Rubin data). They're everywhere!

I'm pretty sure that whatever Chris is about to tell, it was worse.

I know, right? I can't let it go. (BTW, the later "Voorwerpjes" usage was completely my fault and deliberate). Couldn't help myself having a look with 15-cm Celestron Origin a couple of nights ago from a dark site - and there it is, hanging right below IC 2497.

I seem to recall an impression of John Faulkner doing an impression of Professor Kingsfield.

Opposite. Grouching on ZTwitter back in the day got me a refund from Delta for twice putting me in a blank-fuselage-wall seat after paying the window surcharge. I'd make a note of this if United had any significant presence at the local airport.

Could you elaborate? I don't see what's unusual.

Is it keyed to your email address or something? I mean, you could answer with someone else's name. Maybe even a real one.

- Signed, someone with 35 years' experience in the environment

That's long gone in the rear-view mirror...

With all that detail, I neglected to actually tag DragonCon @dragoncon.org

See? Look at all the cool stuff remaining to be done with spectroscopy using ~4m telescopes on the ground if they're made widely available to the community! (Totally a swipe at 25 years' worth of policy decisions)

Our college orchestra played Hansen's Romatic Symphony circa 1977. During our extensive rests, the tuba player and I kept thinking what cinematic music it was. We even illustrated space docking scenes using bass trombone and tuba mutes. Imagine my surprise a few years later watching Alien.

Meanwhile with a Celestron Origin about 3 meters away - single 2-minute exposure stack, contrast tweaked but otherwise straight from the telescope. (I finally got Comet Lemmon the next night sans fog).

Nice! And thanks for the Balmaverde+ pointer - they had some 3C objects not yet in my working list of EELRs (though I don't do much work with radio-galaxy EELRs, too much going on besides photoionization).

Quoting my (excellent) orthopedic surgeon, you shouldn't get a knee replacement until you can't stand it - but remember that your body is not getting any better at recovery with age... (they did rewind my mobility by 15 years)

(Might have worn black and gold to church today, but if so was totally egged on by offspring)

Which is a really uncomfortable point, one implicitly decided by hiring institutions as long as funding is an explicit requirement to keep your job (my former employer put that in writing). Today, I don't see how they back away from that even if there is an explicit random element.<despondent emoji>

Indeed. In many review panels, I've noticed important work that is hard to fit into the default narrative structure we've grown to expect and is sometimes explicitly called for. If nothing else - fishing expeditions make sense when we already know there are so many glorious kinds of fish.