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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. -
Category Archives: Optics
Nonradiating orbital motions!
You know what I haven’t talked about much lately? My own research! Well, today is a great day for it, because a paper I wrote with my student Ray Abney just came out in Physical Review A, titled “Nonradiating orbital … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics, Personal
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Why is the polar bear white? The optics of polar bear pelts
You can find amazing and wonderful things when you browse old science journals. And when I say “old,” I don’t mean that you even have to go back very far. While I was tracking down an article in the journal … Continue reading
Musings on the “TikTok Mirror Mystery”
So I wasn’t going to comment on this trend that’s been going around on TikTok for a few weeks, but I am an optical physicist so I probably should say something about it — and in fact, I would like … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Optics
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Optics, rain, and car headlights
One of the fun things about being a physicist is that occasionally you end up pondering some sort of everyday phenomenon that you’ve never thought about before and realize that you can explain it with some elementary physics! Some time … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
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Physics demonstrations: Oculus Mundi
So, for some reason, my ten year old video on the Barkhausen effect went viral on YouTube the past few weeks, and brought me quite a few new followers there. I thought I’d do a short video to say “thanks … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics, Physics demos
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Rough photos of lunar eclipse 2022
Today, May 16, is the 2022 International Day of Light, designated by UNESCO to recognize the role of light in science, art, and education. You can read more also at the optical society Optica’s webpage. I’m out of town for … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
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Eliza Young owns some scientists (1816)
This is a belated post for the International Day of Women & Girls in Science, which was on February 11. In this post, I honor those women who never had a chance to get into science due to societal and … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics, Women in science
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Me on This Week in Science!
I’m having a lot of fun doing video chats on science shows lately! A few days ago, I happened to see that This Week in Science talked about some optics that I am familiar with, and I jokingly complained to … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Optics
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Row, row row your boat, James Clerk Maxwell (1841)
Another short post inspired by my work on my upcoming book on the history of invisibility physics! James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) is rightly regarded as one of the most important physicists of the 19th century, and indeed of all time, … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics
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Superoscillations: imaging beyond the limits of diffraction
This past week I gave a virtual talk to the Charlotte Amateur Astronomy Club about a fascinating development in wave physics and imaging called “superoscillations,” and I thought I would record a version that I could share here! Hopefully the … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics
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