Ah, summer, the time to neglect thinking and just build crap.  So, much as with the DIY Clean Room, I started gathering bits to make the DIY Vacuum chamber. I'm building a vacuum chamber to make…

Proof of aliens within 25 years?  What's the basis for this optimism? Well, of course, it's the Drake equation.  It had to be.  While it is certainly reasonable that everyone has their…

You must be quite familiar with what happens when you toss a pebble into a pond. You might describe the simple event as a massive rotating object splashing into a deformable fluid. Or, you might… not…

How did the first stars and galaxies form? Are there other planets like Earth? What is the universe made of? These are the fundamental questions that astronomers hope to answer in the next decade…

How did the first stars and galaxies form? Are there other planets like Earth? What is the universe made of? These are the fundamental questions that astronomers hope to answer in the decade with a…

Ever been stuck in an airport? A foreign country? Try being stuck in orbit! Poor Air Force Major Abacha Tunde plus a colleague were trapped on a Soyuz in orbit for over 14 years. Fortunately, thanks…

Citizen scientists are doing big things in astronomy in 2010.   A few days ago, three amateurs discovered PSR J2007+2722, a neutron star that rotates 41 times per second and a recent Science…

The odd shape of NGC 4696, the largest galaxy in the Centaurus Cluster (galaxy cluster Abell 3526), leads to fundamental science questions.  First, why is it such a strange shape? And what are…

This is a good year for summer meteor watching. The moon, just past new, will not interfere with observations of faint meteors. And the Perseid shower, originated from the dust left behind in the…

Will picosatellites pollute space like in Wall-E? Why do we let amateurs kill Mother Earth? Send in the UN! These are part of the overwhelming comments following my Discovery interview. I am amazed…