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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
Bram Stoker’s The Lair of the White Worm
Bram Stoker’s name is inextricably and deservedly associated with horror fiction, thanks to his famous novel Dracula. Of course, he wrote other novels and short stories, many of which are mostly (and undeservedly) forgotten today. With this in mind, I … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Making magnets speak: the Barkhausen effect
Occasionally I come across a demonstration of physics that is so simple to implement yet illustrates a phenomenon so profound that it almost takes my breath away. I learned of one such demonstration recently, which requires only a handful of … Continue reading
Posted in Physics
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Weird Fiction Monday: A Vignette
It’s time for Weird Fiction Monday, when I post stories that I’ve written — both new and old — for the entertainment (hopefully) of my readers! As always, I note that I haven’t done extensive editing of the tales here, … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction
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“Hairy balls” in optics?
The title of this post certainly got your attention, didn’t it? Don’t worry — the topic of the post is not quite as bad as it sounds! The “hairy ball” theorem is in fact a mathematical theorem that states, in … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
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Bram Stoker’s “The Jewel of Seven Stars”
Late at night, barrister Malcolm Ross is awakened from a pleasant dream by a pounding on his door. A policeman is waiting for him there, with an urgent summons from Margaret Trelawny, a young woman whom Ross had recently met … Continue reading
The Giant’s Shoulders #51 is out! Tales of Patriotic Science-Nerds, Vortex Cannons and Nuking the Goat
The 51st edition of The Giant’s Shoulders is up at the History of Geology blog! As its title suggests, within the carnival you can read about: Patriotic science nerd Thomas Jefferson, who defended America’s biological honor with a moose, A very old … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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How many uses for a nuclear weapon can YOU think of?
Ah, nuclear weapons! Having grown up while the Cold War was still going strong, I can almost think about nuclear bombs with a sentimental eye — though the threat of nuclear terrorism is still a possibility, we’re much further away … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Physics
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Relativity: Ten minutes to Alpha Centauri?
Einstein’s special theory of relativity is arguably the most amazing physical theory ever conceived. It utterly transformed our view of the universe, completely eradicating the view that space and time are independent quantities and giving us a new unified fabric … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Relativity
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Weird science facts: July — August 2012
Though I stopped doing a Twitter weird science fact (#weirdscifacts) a day early this year, I’m still occasionally posting facts as I come across them. Here’s a collection of a few tidbits I came across over the past couple of … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Physics demonstrations: vortex cannon!
As I’ve said before, some of the best scientific demonstrations are things that can be put together with simple everyday components and exhibit surprising, even counter-intuitive, phenomena. One of my all-time favorite demonstrations is of this form! All one needs … Continue reading
Posted in Physics demos
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Skulls in the Stars 