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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
Kathleen Lonsdale: Master of Crystallography
In recent years, there has been a wonderful explosion of interest in the often-neglected historical women of science, and more information is available than ever before about the lives and achievements of these women. Nevertheless, there are still some truly … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Women in science
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My favorite “classic” horror stories
Even though I blog about horror fiction of all eras, regular readers of this blog know that I particularly love older stuff. There’s something about the ghost and horror stories of the late 1800s and early 1900s that is particularly … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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#365 papers, part 4!
I’ve joined a group of folks on Twitter who have vowed to read roughly a paper a day for an entire year, and will summarize my reading here occasionally. Part 1 can be read here, part 2 can be read … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
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A.M. Burrage’s Waxwork and Other Stories
I’ve long been a fan of the work of A.M. Burrage — that little of it that I’ve been able to find, that is. His ghost stories, originally published in six volumes from the 1920s to the 1960s, have been rarely … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Michael Faraday and the waterspouts (1814)
This week, one of the most fascinating/frightening videos to be posted online was of a waterspout that ran aground on a Brazilian beach, hurling debris and terrifying vacationers. Weaker than the similar-looking tornadoes that appear over land, most waterspouts have speeds … Continue reading
Posted in History of science
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#365papers, part 3!
I’ve joined a group of folks on Twitter who have vowed to read roughly a paper a day for an entire year, and will summarize my reading here occasionally. Part 1 can be read here, and part 2 can be … Continue reading
Dr. SkySkull and the mystery of the subluminal superluminal light!
References in a scientific paper are supposed to answer questions, not raise them, but sometimes they inadvertently create a minor mystery for the reader. A few weeks back, I blogged about the curious phenomenon of subluminal vacuum beams of light, … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Optics
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Robert Aickman’s Dark Entries
It took me far longer than it should have, but I have finally read a collection of short stories by Robert Aickman (1914-1981). Though the 1960s and 1970s, he published 48 supernatural tales, some of which are acknowledged as classics, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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#365 papers, part 2!
I’ve joined a group of folks on Twitter who have vowed to read roughly a paper a day, and will summarize my reading here occasionally. Part 1 can be read here. Links are provided for those with university access who … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal
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So what’s up with that “slower than light” light?
Over the years, there has been a lot of hype about the possibility of “superluminal” light: namely, light than can travel faster than the vacuum speed of light meters/second, which is overwhelmingly considered the absolute speed limit of the universe. I’ve talked … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
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Skulls in the Stars 