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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
Helgoland, by Carlo Rovelli
Book 1 of my new modest goal of reading and blogging about 26 books this year! This one is a little bit of a cheat, as I read much of it near the end of last year, but I finished … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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Fake Book Titles Extravaganza, Part 8!
It’s time to compile all my fake book titles from social media again! You can see compilation 1, compilation 2, compilation 3, compilation 4, compilation 5, compilation 6 and compilation 7 at the links. This is a smaller batch, because I haven’t been as inspired lately and … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
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Frank Perret’s The Eruption of Mt. Pelée 1929-1932
I’ve mentioned before that I’ve started to experiment with doing history of science TikToks for fun, and did one not long ago about Frank Perret’s brush with death in the path of a pyroclastic flow on Mount Pelée somewhere around … Continue reading
Posted in History of science
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Invisibility a Choice Reviews Outstanding Academic Title for 2023!
I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog due to the holiday craziness and a frantic rush to submit a grant proposal before the deadline, but I will hopefully be back on track in the near future. But I wanted … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Personal
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The fate of Charles Delaunay on TikTok!
Hey folks, I posted a new short history of science video on TikTok, telling a slightly eerie story in the spirit of Victorian Christmas ghost stories about the fate of astronomer Charles Delaunay.
Posted in History of science, Horror
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From the archives: Phantasmagoria: How Étienne-Gaspard Robert terrified Paris for science
This is another classic post that I will probably turn into a TikTok video in the future, but I am very proud of the writing I did here!
Posted in History of science, Optics
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Posting history of science on TikTok!
Just a short note to let people know that I’ve started experimenting with posting videos on TikTok about the weird history of science stories that I know! Will see how long I can put up with the effort! For those … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Personal
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What is a zero refractive index material?
I’m currently writing a textbook on Electromagnetic Waves for my graduate optics students. I was reading up on zero refractive index materials for a chapter section and thought it would be fun to write a popularized account of their fascinating … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
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From the archives: Barkla shows that x-rays have polarization (1905)
Thought I’d share an old post from the physics archives, talking about a very important yet largely forgotten milestone in physics: the demonstration that X-rays are in fact another type of electromagnetic wave!
Posted in History of science, Physics
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Skulls in the Stars 