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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: rolling uphill
Some of the best and most enjoyable demonstrations of physics principles can be put together quite readily with very cheap materials. A good example of this was the simple version of the Magdeburg hemisphere demo I discussed previously; another example … Continue reading
Posted in Physics demos
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Philip Wylie’s Gladiator (1930)
Stories of superheroes have evolved dramatically since the appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 in 1938. Where many of the first, like Superman, were moral, upstanding individuals striving to do good in the world, many modern heroes are flawed, … Continue reading
Posted in Weird fiction
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The Giant’s Shoulders #47 is up at The Medical Heritage Library!
A week delayed, but worth the wait: the 47th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders history of science blog carnival is up at The Medical Heritage Library! In this edition, you can read about: the politics of Isaac Newton’s knighthood, the … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Personal book page for “Mathematical Methods”
Now that the semester is over and I have some time, I finally got around to writing a short book page for my Mathematical Methods for Optical Physics and Engineering textbook! This page will serve as a place to post … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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An American in Spain, part 7: the Plaza de España, Seville
Part 7 of a photo travelogue of my (not quite so) recent trip to Spain with my wife and her family! (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6) Our first full day in Seville was quite a busy one! … Continue reading
The secret molecular life of soap bubbles (1913)
Nature can be extremely devious in the way it hides its secrets. Sometimes the most remarkable and profound insights are staring us right in the face every day in the most mundane phenomena. For instance, we have all seen the … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics
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Physics demonstrations: Magdeburg hemispheres
Sometimes one can demonstrate very profound and remarkable physics with very simple, even mundane, tools. Last week I received the tools to perform one such demonstration by mail: This pair of iron hemispheres, with handles attached and a valve on … Continue reading
Posted in Physics demos
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An American in Spain, part 6: Real Alcázar of Seville
Part 6 of a photo travelogue of my recent trip to Spain with my wife and her family! (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) On our first full day in Seville, we spent the morning visiting the Seville Cathedral, … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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Coherence, plasmons, and me!
I don’t often talk about my own research on this blog… heck, I don’t think I’ve ever talked about my own research here, come to think of it! I thought it would be a nice change of pace to describe … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
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“Arago’s inadvertent test of relativity” in Optics & Photonics News!
This is just a short post to announce that my third popular science article written for a magazine appeared online today! “Arago’s inadvertent test of relativity” has appeared in the May issue of Optics & Photonics News, the news magazine … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal
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Skulls in the Stars 