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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
Me on the “6 Degrees of Cats” podcast!
Hey folks! I’ve appeared on yet another podcast! Fortunately, for those who are tired of me talking about invisibility, this one is about cats, and related to my previous book on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics. I’m part of an … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
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Perseus Had a Helmet, by Richard Sale
Fate has led me to another invisibility story while looking for something completely different! This gives me one more opportunity to remind people that my book on invisibility is available while I blog about this story. One of the very … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Mystery/thriller
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Hard Landing, by Algis Budrys
Some time ago, I read Rogue Moon (1960), by Algis Budrys, a classic science fiction novel about an alien deathtrap maze discovered on the moon and the man willing to die over and over again to discover its secrets. I … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Quantum jumps: The Franck-Hertz experiment (1914)
The early years of quantum physics, from Einstein’s explanation of the photoelectric effect in 1905 through the introduction of the Schrödinger equation in 1926, was a remarkable time for science and filled with novel ideas, speculations, and experiments. In the … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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Nonradiating orbital motions!
You know what I haven’t talked about much lately? My own research! Well, today is a great day for it, because a paper I wrote with my student Ray Abney just came out in Physical Review A, titled “Nonradiating orbital … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics, Personal
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RIP Sasha, 2004-2023
I knew Sasha was special from the moment I saw her. She was not only an absolutely beautiful feline, but she somehow radiated a calmness and wisdom to me in general that I have rarely seen in cats. Sasha passed … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal
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Pests, by Bethany Brookshire
I’ve been meaning to read a lot more popular science books outside of my field lately, in order to broaden my knowledge and just get back in the habit of reading that I fell out of during the Dark Times … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Science news
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The Handyman, by Lester Barclay
Originally posted on Skulls in the Stars:
Let’s tackle another invisibility story! This one is a little different, in that it is a story about an imaginary invisible friend! “The Handyman,” by Lester Barclay, appeared in the October 1950 issue…
Posted in Invisibility
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The Vanishing American, by Charles Beaumont
I found another invisibility story! This allows me to keep talking about invisibility for at least one more day, with a reminder that my book on the history and science of invisibility is now available. This next invisibility story is … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Weird fiction
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Why is the polar bear white? The optics of polar bear pelts
You can find amazing and wonderful things when you browse old science journals. And when I say “old,” I don’t mean that you even have to go back very far. While I was tracking down an article in the journal … Continue reading
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