-
The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Author Archives: skullsinthestars
Ten days until The Giant’s Shoulders #16!
There’s 10 days left until the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #16! It will be held at Quiche Moraine, and entries can be submitted through blogcarnival.com or directly to the host blog, as usual!
Posted in General science, Science news
Leave a comment
ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: water on the moon, telescopes in history, seeing through other people’s eyes, and space travel
This was a very good week for my section of ResearchBlogging, and I had a hard time picking selections! In the news this month: discovery of water on the moon. Here, Megan at Rigel describes the recent, and independently confirmed, … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
Leave a comment
The first paper on invisibility? (1902)
When discussing the history of invisibility physics, I typically cite Ehrenfest’s 1910 paper on radiationless motions as the first publication dedicated to the subject. Ehrenfest’s paper, which attempts to explain how electrons could oscillate in a classical atom without radiating, … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics
9 Comments
The Purrfect kitty mats!
The other day, we received a nice package in the mail: catnip-laced mats for our cats! My cousin Judi makes and sells these and sent four of them to us as a wedding gift. They’ve been a big hit around … Continue reading
Posted in Animals
4 Comments
300k page view milestone!
Just a short note: yesterday afternoon, I passed the milestone of 300k total page views! It wasn’t that long ago that I passed the 200k mark. Thanks to everyone who has been taking the time to visit the site and … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
5 Comments
ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Antikythera, Admetus, and cyborg beetles!
The Antikythera Mechanism: Art or Science? The Antikythera Mechanism is a remarkable ancient machine which was discovered off the coast of the island of Antikythera in 1901; recent research has shown it to be more complicated than originally appreciated. Alun … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
Leave a comment
Giants From Eternity, by Manly Wade Wellman
Having recently worked through Manly Wade Wellman’s wonderful Silver John novels, I thought I would take a look at some of his other speculative fiction. Thanks to all my Silver John purchases on Amazon, other Wellman novels have percolated up … Continue reading
Posted in Weird fiction
13 Comments
Happy birthday to Mark Hamill!
Today “marks” Hamill’s 58th birthday! People are most familiar with Hamill’s star-making role as Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, which I still remember seeing in the theaters when it was originally released. But Hamill has had a … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
2 Comments
The Discoverie of Witchcraft, by Reginald Scot (1584)
One topic that I’ve long had a fascination with is the history of skeptical and scientific thought. Human beings are naturally endowed with the ability to reason, but that reason is a far cry from a belief in a world … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Religion
20 Comments
ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Science and the public
(Cross-posted at ResearchBlogging.org news.) This week I hereby declare an unofficial theme of “science and the public” for my editor’s selections; at least that’s the way it turned out when I was choosing posts! What motivates the Zooites? In 2007, … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
Leave a comment
Skulls in the Stars 