Astronomy
Category archives for Astronomy
Launch Pad
Posted by Chad Orzel on July 27, 2011 For the past few years, astronomer and SF author Mike Brotherton has been running the Launch Pad Workshop, a program bringing interested SF authors to Wyoming (where he’s on the faculty) to learn about modern astronomy. The idea is to teach writers the real facts about the weird and wonderful things going on in astronomy…
PNAS: Brad Holden, Observatory Astronomer
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 22, 2011 p>(This post is part of the new round of interviews of non-academic scientists, giving the responses of Brad Holden, of the University of California Observatories (which, OK, is affiliated with an academic institution, but this is not a traditional faculty-type job). The goal is to provide some additional information for science students thinking about their…
When Aliens Attack
Posted by Chad Orzel on May 23, 2011 As I have admitted previously, I have a fondness for tv shows about UFO’s, the loonier the better. So, when I learned that there was a show called When Aliens Attack airing last night on the National Geographic channel, I was all over that. I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint– it brought…
Notes Toward “A Brief History of Timekeeping”: Kooks and Sticks
Posted by Chad Orzel on February 10, 2011 Barring a major disaster, I am scheduled to teach one of our Scholars Research Seminar classes next winter. I’ve been kicking the idea for this around for a while, with the semi-clever title “A Brief History of Timekeeping.” The idea is to talk about the different technologies people have used to mark the passage of…
The Four Percent Universe by Richard Panek
Posted by Chad Orzel on January 5, 2011 Back in the fall, I got an email from my UK publisher asking me if I’d be willing to read and possibly blurb a forthcoming book, The Four Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek. The book isn’t exactly in my field, but there…
The Status of Simulations
Posted by Chad Orzel on December 29, 2010 Most of what would ordinarily be blogging time this morning got used up writing a response to a question at the Physics Stack Exchange. But having put all that effort in over there, I might as well put it to use here, too… The question comes from a person who did a poster on terminology…
Poll: Top Physics Story of 2010?
Posted by Chad Orzel on December 28, 2010 It’s the last week of the (calendar) year, which means it’s a good time to recap the previous twelve months worth of scientific news. Typically, publications like Physics World will publish a list of top ten physics stories of 2010, but we’re all Web 2.0 these days, so it seems more appropriate to put this…
Science on the Tree 2010: Extrasolar Planets
Posted by Chad Orzel on December 20, 2010 We didn’t do a Christmas tree last year, because we figured SteelyKid wasn’t yet old enough to be safe around it. We put one up this year, though, and she’s been very grown-up and careful around it, so all is well. The return of the Chateau Steelypips Christmas tree means I can also revive a…
Definitions and Standards
Posted by Chad Orzel on November 30, 2010 Somebody asked a question at the Physics Stack Exchange site about the speed of light and the definition of the meter that touches on an issue I think is interesting enough to expand on a little here. The questioner notes that the speed of light is defined to be 299,792,458 m/s and the meter is…
Dorky Poll: Gratitude
Posted by Chad Orzel on November 25, 2010 It’s Thanksgiving here in the US, so blogging will be light to nonexistent. For the sake of those looking for a quick escape from the chaos of a family gathering, or, you know, those poor benighted souls in other countries for whom this is just another Thursday, here’s a thematically appropriate poll about science: What…
