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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 Giant’s Shoulders #54, a sleigh-load of history, is out!
The 54th edition of the history of science blog carnival, The Giant’s Shoulders, is out at the blog Contagions! In this carnival, you can read about: the forgotten Victorian romance between science and religion at Christmas time, interesting discussions of … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Duel in the clouds — the world’s first air combat in 1870?
While I was researching my post on Tissandier’s ill-fated 1875 high-altitude balloon ride, I happened to come across a very curious image, pictured below. Apparently the 1870 Franco-Prussian War not only resulted in the first airmail: it also spawned the … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
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Light “tying itself in knots,” at Aeon Magazine
Those who are familiar with my blog know that one of my fields of specialty is so-called “singular optics,” the study of the behavior of light in regions where the light intensity is zero and the phase is singular. I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Science news
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The balloon ride of death (1875)
It is easy to forget that the early years of scientific pursuit were times when one could potentially risk not just wealth and reputation, but one’s very life. A little-known but perfect example of this is the horrifying and deadly … Continue reading
Posted in History of science
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RIP Milo
I hate to have to do a post like this, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get peace of mind until I do. Last week, we took in a trio of foster kitties — Trixie, Milo and Bailey … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal
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Weird science facts: October — December 2012
While I work on some more detailed physics posts, I thought it would be a good time to recap some recent weird science facts that I’ve posted to Twitter under my longtime hashtag #weirdscifacts! Oct 24: Aww. Nineteen Species Of … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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George Soane’s “The Stranger Knight” (1812-14)
Note: In the interest of disclosure, I wanted to mention that Valancourt Books has graciously asked me to write an introduction to an upcoming release, John Blackburn’s Broken Boy (1959)! Very excited, but I don’t think it affects my blog posts … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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2012 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, from the street
This Thanksgiving, my wife and I went to New York City! It’s been one of her dreams to visit NYC and attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. This was the first time I’ve ever been, despite having done my PhD in … Continue reading
Priestley’s account of Franklin’s historic kite flight (1767)
Now that I’ve spent a post defending the possibility that Benjamin Franklin could have performed, and likely did perform, his experiment demonstrating the sameness of electricity and lightning, it occurs to me that I haven’t shared in detail the most … Continue reading
Posted in History of science
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More on Franklin and the electrical kite (1752)
The history of science is filled with exaggerated and even untrue stories of scientists and experiments; there are a lot of people about (such as the Renaissance Mathematicus) who endeavor to debunk some of the more egregious myths out there, … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
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Skulls in the Stars 