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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
Dr. SkySkull in Finland: Koli National Park
Whew! I just got back from a long two-week trip to Europe, in order to attend a pair of optics meetings. The first of these was in Joensuu, Finland, and the second was on the island of Spetses in Greece. … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Travel
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Dead Reckonings #23 is available!
Interested in reading literary critiques of the latest horror fiction, and analyses of the same? Well, you’re in luck, because issue #23 of the Hippocampus Press literary magazine Dead Reckonings is now available! As in a number of earlier volumes, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Personal
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Dr. SkySkull in Mexico: The Great Pyramid of Cholula
A couple of weeks ago, as a part of the SPIE Visiting Lecturer program, I went and gave three talks at the Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE) in Cholula, Mexico. I had a great time, the Institute is … Continue reading
RIP Emil Wolf, 1922-2018
On Saturday morning, my PhD advisor and friend Professor Emil Wolf passed away at the age of 95. He was a singularly gifted scientist as well as an extraordinarily kind and wise person. It is fair to say that I … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal
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RIP Sabrina, 2006-2018
Even when you know it is coming, and soon, it is never easy to lose a animal friend. Last night, after a six month struggle with cancer, my beloved Sabrina passed away at the age of 12. I had been … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal
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Dr. SkySkull on WCNC!
For those who just can’t get enough of seeing me on camera (read: my parents), yesterday I did a very short spot on WCNC TV to promote UNCC’s Science and Technology Expo that is happening tomorrow, noon-4 pm, on the … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal, Physics
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The Broken Earth Trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin
Let’s start with the end of the world, why don’t we? Get it over with and move on to more interesting things. So begins the beautiful, haunting, and apocalyptic Broken Earth Trilogy, written by N.K. Jemisin. It begins with The … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction, Science fiction
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Arago finds new physics with a compass (1824)
One of the challenges of doing physics outreach is that there are so many cool phenomena which simply can’t be demonstrated in an eye-catching way, because they are too small, too subtle, or too complicated. So whenever I find a … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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Fred Saberhagen’s Brother Assassin
An army of intelligent war machines are dedicated to the utter annihilation of humanity. When they begin to lose their war in the present, they send an unstoppable cybernetic assassin back into the past to kill a key figure in … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Chladni patterns, now in color!
One of my favorite physics demonstrations to perform at local schools, conventions, and expos is the production of Chladni patterns, such as the one shown below. I’ve blogged about these patterns before. They are formed by vibrating a metal plate … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Physics demos
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Skulls in the Stars 