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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
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
2 Comments
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
3 Comments
Somnium, by Johannes Kepler
I’ve had an interest for a while in ridiculously old science fiction, such as Margaret Cavendish’s 1666 novel The Blazing World, as well as science fiction written by prominent scientists, such as Simon Newcomb’s His Wisdom the Defender (1900), Robert … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Science fiction
3 Comments
The Stories of Ibis, by Hiroshi Yamamoto
I have a long backlog of book blogging to do, but I had to jump and do the back of the queue first. Every once in a while I read a book that is so thought provoking and moving to … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck, by Alexander Laing
Got a few physics blog posts in the pipeline, but in the meantime I’m still catching up on a lot of book blogging! I’ve had The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck (1934) in my library for some time, as I picked … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller, Science fiction
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City of Darkness, by Ben Bova
I’ve recently been in a mood to shop used bookstores as well as read obscure science fiction. This dangerous combination has resulted in me purchasing a number of books by well-known authors that have been forgotten, probably for the best. … Continue reading
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