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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
The Sword of Midras, by Tracy Hickman and Richard Garriott
I’ve been getting very nostalgic recently for the video fantasy role-playing games of my youth, most notably the Ultima series of games. I played Ultima I – V when I was young, and even watched a complete walkthrough of Ultima … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction
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Cat-turning in the Washington Post!
Those who have followed this blog for a while know that I have a fascination with the physics and history of “cat-turning,” the ability of a cat to turn over and land on its feet even when it falls with … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
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A trip to the New England Aquarium
I’m in Boston for a couple of days to attend an optics meeting, and I snuck out for an hour this afternoon to visit the lovely New England Aquarium! Even though I’m a physicist, I love visiting such places, because … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Travel
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Twitter Weird Science Facts, Volume 15
It’s been a long delay since my last volume of twitter #weirdscifacts, so we’ve got a lot of catching up do to! I was at the Frontiers in Optics meeting in Rochester all last week, which put me quite behind. … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Weirdscifacts
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Halloween Treats 2016
It’s that most wonderful time of year again, when the leaves change colors and the spirits become restless! In the “spirit” of Halloween, I again present a series of classic horror stories to properly get you in the mood. I’ve been … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris
I am nowhere near as versed in science fiction as I am in horror fiction, and recently I’ve been trying to remedy that somewhat, in particular focusing on science fiction by Russian and Eastern European authors. Back in March I … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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How much does a photon weigh?
A couple of weeks ago, after a glass of wine, I did a twitter “ask me anything” about optics and light which resulted in the question that is the title of this post. I took a rough twitter stab at it … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Relativity
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Twitter Weird Science Facts, Volume 14
Time again for a compilation of Twitter #weirdscifacts! Click below the link to find out what the heck these Japanese honeybees are doing.
Posted in General science, Weirdscifacts
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Kecksies, by Marjorie Bowen
I suspect that most people are unaware of the pivotal role that publisher Arkham House played in the history of weird fiction. Founded in 1939 by authors and H.P. Lovecraft fans August Derleth and Donald Wandrei, the original goal of … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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The Hunt for Vulcan, by Thomas Levenson
Some of the most interesting stories in the history of science are those where investigations take a wrong turn. Scientific progress is filled with red herrings, failed assumptions, and wild guesses that rarely make it into the science textbooks. When … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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Skulls in the Stars 