Alex R. Howe
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My blog of science, science fiction, and more.
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Monthly Archives: December 2012
2012 in review: science, fiction, and other cool stuff
As 2012 draws to a close, people around the world are looking back at everything that happened over the past year. Probably the most memorable story in science was the landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars, and for good … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, General
Tagged 2012, curiosity, elections, human space flight, james cameron, neil armstrong, transit of venus, year in review
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In the sky: the Wolf Moon
Okay, you probably don’t need a stargazing guide to find the Moon. If it’s up, it’s pretty easy to spot, even in the daytime. Tonight, it’s even easier, since it’s a full Moon, specifically, the Wolf Moon, the traditional name … Continue reading
Posted in Stargazing
Tagged craters, full moon, in the sky, maria, wolf moon
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Planets of failed stars
A brown dwarf is a failed star. It’s about the size of Jupiter, but anywhere from 13 to 80 times as massive. It is too small to shine by burning hydrogen, like a star, but it is massive enough to … Continue reading
Posted in Planets
Tagged 2m1207b, brown dwarfs, definition of planet, exoplanets
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A brief, festive history of time travel
In this holiday season, let us take a moment to remember the first popular book that brought the idea of time travel to the readers of the world…A Christmas Carol. Wait, Charles Dickens was the father of time travel? Well, … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, History
Tagged a christmas carol, christmas, history, science fiction, time travel
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Book review: Amped by Daniel H. Wilson
In the future, brain implants are widespread. They can cure all sorts of neurological conditions, including ADD, epilepsy, learning disabilities, and even autism. They’re great for interfacing with prosthetic limbs, and healthy people can get them as an elective surgery … Continue reading
Posted in Book reviews
Tagged amped, brain implants, daniel h wilson, science fiction
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In the sky: the Geminid meteor shower
Tomorrow night, December 13-14, will be one of the most impressive meteor showers of the year: the Geminids. Meteor showers are caused when Earth crosses the orbit of a comet. Even if the comet is nowhere near Earth at the … Continue reading
Posted in Meteors, Stargazing
Tagged fireball, geminids, meteor shower
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It’s (not) the end of the world as we know it, part 2
In my last post, I explained how the end of the Mayan calendar is not a harbinger of the end of the world. However, you’ve probably seen stories about other predictions, even scientific predictions, that say something very bad will … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Debunking, Doomsday predictions
Tagged 2012, conspiracy, debunking, don't panic, impending doom, magnetic reversal, nibiru, solar storm
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It’s (not) the end of the world as we know it
By now, you’ve probably heard that on December 21, 2012, just two weeks from today, the ancient Mayan calendar will run out, and the world will end! This is approximately as silly as thinking the world will end on December … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Debunking, Doomsday predictions
Tagged 2012, debunking, don't panic, impending doom, mayan calendar
Comments Off on It’s (not) the end of the world as we know it
Dark planet
A mirror is supposed to reflect back all of the light that hits it, but, being made of atoms, mirrors are not perfect. They typically only reflect about 95% of the light that hits them. Fresh-fallen snow also reflects a … Continue reading
NaNoWriMo wrap-up
It’s December 1, and National Novel Writing Month is over for 2012. According to the NaNo website, an estimated 300,000 writers officially took part this year, with 38,373 winning the event by reaching the goal of 50,000 words, and a … Continue reading
Science Meets Fiction 