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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
Fake Book Titles Extravaganza, Part 6!
It’s been a while since I compiled my fake book title posts from Twitter, so it’s time to do so again! You can see compilation 1, compilation 2, compilation 3, compilation 4 and compilation 5 at the links. For those who don’t recall, this is … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
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An intro to Mastodon from a relative newcomer!
“So your favorite social media site has been taken over by a bumbling fascist-friendly narcissist.” Mine, too. With Twitter under new management that leaves me very pessimistic about its future as a viable communications site, I’ve been taking a look … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal
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Fellstones, by Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell remains my favorite horror author and, in my opinion, one of the greatest writers of all time, period. So any time a new Campbell novel appears, I snap it up without hesitation. The most recent is Fellstones, which … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Halloween Treats 2022: Bodies!
Ever since I started my blog back in 2007, I’ve been doing a yearly compilation of classic horror stories that can be freely read on the internet! (Search “Halloween Treats” on my blog to see earlier editions!) I see no … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Ghost Mine, by Hunter Shea
Hunter Shea’s novel Ghost Mine came out in 2019, but somehow it only came to my attention recently, when he posted about it on Twitter. My immediate reaction? “You had me at ‘ghost mine.’” Really, what else do you need … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Bite-size horror video games!
The existence of game distributors like Steam and the Epic Store have led to a bit of a Renaissance in short form horror video games. Small teams of developers, even single people, have crafted a variety of games that make … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Horror
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A visit to Mount Hope Cemetery, 2022
This week, I attended my first in-person scientific conference since 2019. I went to Optica’s Frontiers in Optics in Rochester, NY, a city near and dear to my heart, since I did my PhD there, as well. I had a … Continue reading
Posted in Cemetery, Travel
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“Invisibility” has a cover and a release date!
Of course, my publisher never tells me these things, but the cover for my next popular science book, on the history and physics of invisibility, has been made public and the book has a release date! It was a challenge … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Invisibility, Personal
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Lake of the Dead, by Andre Bjerke
It’s time for me to get back into blogging about weird fiction! I really fell off in my reading over the past few years, due to the stress of political turmoil, the pandemic, and life in general. Fortunately, I’ve been … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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Jupiter and its moons
This past Monday turned out to be a rather rare event for skywatchers: the planet Jupiter’s closest point of approach to the Earth since 1963! This was the coincidence of two situations. The first is the planet being in opposition … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Science news
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Skulls in the Stars 