• Vacation and weather

    I’ve been here for a week now. It’s my turn to fully take over as assistant, after having had Karl show me the ropes. Everything is getting less and less confusing, and even though I think I will never understand all the technical details I think I can handle it.…

  • This windy, starry mountain

    It’s a bit windy today. And when I say “a bit” I mean “hell of”. About 20 metres per second up here on the mountain-top. Enough to make opening the door difficult, and almost enough to knock you off your feet if you’re not careful when heading out. It was…

  • First impressions of La Palma

    And so the adventure begins. Holy shit people, I am currently located at a volcanic island, at the top of a 2.4 km mountain, the farthest south I’ve ever been, in a telescope building. Holy shit! How did this happen? I’ve begun my ten-week assistantship at the Swedish Solar Telescope…

  • I love my life

    Wow. It’s been over a week since I posted The Confession, and I am still feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the positive response and love and support I got bombarded with, by friends and strangers alike. This will warm my heart for a long time to come, and when things…

  • LinCon and the awesomeness of reality

    Another gaming convention come and gone. Another weekend of feeling utterly at home and enjoying every second of good company and board games and general geekiness. Even the signature social panic managed to stay away this time. Might be a one-time lucky accident, or I might have leveled up on…

  • Planet-hunt: successful!

    Finally! After persistent observations, I have at last seen Mercury! That elusive little bastard isn’t easy to find if you don’t know where to look. But last friday I had a free evening, almost clear weather and a quite level horizon. Sat and watched the sunset for an hour, and…

  • Nörd? Jag?

    När ämnet “vad pluggar du?” har kommit på tal och jag har nämnt att jag studerar astronomi har det hänt att jag fått kommentaren att det är ganska nördigt. Att det är ett väldigt specifikt ämne, ett smalt område, rent av insnöat. Jag ser det inte riktigt så. Eftersom astronomi…