I’m feeling nostalgic so here’s a little Planet Nine thread. Two years ago today I saw the Subaru telescope for the first time. @plutokiller @kbatygin @astrosumo and I were there to look for Planet Nine. Well, they were looking I just watched.

The telescope is a beast. That’s me below the 8.3 meter mirror for scale

The entire week was surreal but watching the process of using a telescope like this in real time was so exciting it helped combat the altitude and weird sleep schedules we were on. The view from the summit is stunning.

If you ever wondered how astronomers get themselves pumped up to observe in the middle of the night-this is one way (this is our ascent up the mountain on the first day)

Mike and Konstantin had intense math debates at 14,000 ft which as you can imagine was a joy to watch (not even kidding it’s amazing and hilarious)

They thought they found it one night just over there

The sunrises at the summit are still the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in my life

When observing doesn’t go well Mike knows how to pick the music

I wrote about their search and what it was like observing for those few days. You can read all about it here @Longreads https://longreads.com/2019/01/22/the-hunt-for-planet-nine/

It was hands down one of the most amazing, surreal experiences of my life and I will be eternally grateful that I got to be there. Thank you @kbatygin @plutokiller

Also it was so much fun and we ate a lot of Pop Tarts