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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
Physics demonstrations: cloaking device?
I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog talking about the optics of invisibility, both hypothetical and actual. Though a number of forms of invisibility have been considered in both science and fiction for over a hundred years, the … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics, Physics demos
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John Blackburn’s The Face of the Lion
I won’t have many more of these to announce in the future (I swear!), but I wanted to point out that another book by John Blackburn has been released recently that contains an introduction by me — The Face of … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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J.B. Priestley’s Benighted
Valancourt Books, traditionally specializing in fiction of Edwardian era and older, has recently started printing new editions of excellent but forgotten 20th century novels. I, of course, have written introductions for a number of the books of John Blackburn (Bury … Continue reading
Posted in Mystery/thriller
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The Giant’s Shoulders #58 is out!
I was a little slow in posting about it, but the 58th edition of the history of science blog carnival, The Giant’s Shoulders, is up at Asylum Science! In this edition, you can read about: cosmonauts who had to survive … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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April 10, 1815: Mount Tambora blows up
Today is the 198th anniversary of the largest volcanic event in recorded history, the deadly and devastating eruption of Mount Tambora on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia. The eruption was four times as powerful as that of its later … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science
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Colin Wilson’s The Philosopher’s Stone
I have to admit: I almost didn’t finish reading Colin Wilson‘s 1969 novel The Philosopher’s Stone, recently reprinted by Valancourt Books. The novel is, in my opinion, a slow-starter; it takes quite some time for this curious story to find … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft, Science fiction
7 Comments
Another video of the Kaye effect
I finally managed to get some video editing software to work, and I have put together a more polished video of the Kaye effect, including some slow-motion shots of the streams! (If the embed doesn’t work right now, try the … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Physics demos
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Physics demonstrations: A short discussion of the Kaye effect
I’ve been gearing up for the second year of the UNC Charlotte Science and Technology Expo, which will be happening on campus on Sunday, April 21st. I’ve been preparing a number of weird and unusual demos for the expo, and … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Physics demos
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Vimana: a sci-fi short film kickstarter
I’ve been quite busy with a lot of official work lately, so posting new science stuff has been light. There are a few posts in the works, but they require a bit more research before publishing. In the meantime, I … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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The Club Dumas, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
For reasons that I never quite understand, some books that I purchase end up sitting on my shelf, unread, for months or even years. Typically, when I come back to read them, I end up mentally kicking myself for avoiding … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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Skulls in the Stars 