Let's Get Off This Rock Already!
An Author's Adventures in Space Travel, Science Fiction, and Worlds Beyond
The absolute smallest angular distance resolvable by the human eye is 28 arc-seconds1. That's about 0.008 degrees, or the apparent size of a quarter at 132 meters, and for those of us not blessed with impeccable vision, that value will be a lot worse. Thankfully modern technology far surpasses the limits of human eyesight, seeing... Continue Reading →
Below is a list of the known stars1 and stellar systems within a ten-light-year radius of the Sun. See if you can notice anything strange about them: Alpha Centauri (A and B, plus Proxima Centauri). Barnard's Star. Wolf 359. Lalande 21185. Sirius (A and B). Luyten 726-8 (A and B). Ross 154. There are familiar,... Continue Reading →
Today's post will be a tad unusual---a personal essay about a fond memory, not unlike my Star Trek piece from a while back. Enjoy! For all that I've been enthralled since childhood by the mysteries of deep space, reverent of humanity's forays beyond this rock we call home, I went through most of my life... Continue Reading →
Space is rather more prosaic than we usually see in fiction. Star Trek postulates a galaxy stuffed to the brim with exciting bumpy-forehead humanoids; we're much more likely to find pond scum. The more nightmarish sci-fi visions are probably off the table, too---a lifeform from a totally different planet would be unable to parasitize a... Continue Reading →
Post by Nic Quattromani: Well, here’s an interesting bit of space news: the Parker Solar Probe is scheduled to launch tomorrow, on August 11. Thus our brave little space probe shall begin its journey to the hottest place within light-years of here. You see, while previous solar observation probes like Ulysses have been content to... Continue Reading →
Post by AJ Rise: Are we alone in this universe? Where are the space aliens? What do they look like? When, if ever, will we get to meet them? These questions all relate to the holy grail of astrobiology: discovering an intelligent alien species. Countless scientists and philosophers have attempted to tackle the question of... Continue Reading →
Post by Nic Quattromani: This week we got a revolutionary new picture of another planet in our solar system, and while it's not the planet with the most interesting surface features (or with surface features at all, actually), we nevertheless have the best view of Neptune since Voyager 2 visited back in 1989. Feast your eyes on... Continue Reading →
