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At the #AAS237 conference yesterday I went to a panel discussion on the effect of large constellations of satellites on astronomy from the ground. The thousands of satellites @spacex and others want to launch are a serious problem. 1/n
@SpaceX The launch of so many satellites might change the appearance of the night sky for ever and the trails they leave in astronomers' cameras and the potential for interference with radio telescopes are serious problems 2/n
@SpaceX Those problems are particularly acute for those searching for near-Earth or threatening asteroids, for example, though any large survey of the sky is affected. 3/n
One of my favourite parts of AAS meetings is attending plenaries way out of my subfield. Pleased to be able to still do that virtually #AAS237 -in "Comets, Unseen Planets, and the Outer Fringes of the Solar System", by Scott Tremaine.
I never thought about how comet brightness depends on distance^4 - 2 powers from the Sun to the comet, and 2 powers back to us on Earth. 
Short period comets (P<20 yrs) are mostly found in/near the plane of the Solar system, while long period comets come from a roughly spherical blob around the Sun. Cool.
