Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

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About Alex R. Howe

I'm a full-time astrophysicist and a part-time science fiction writer.

Happy National Squirrel Appreciation Day

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

And now for something completely different! If you’re like me and facing impending wintry doom here in the Northeast, you could probably use a break. If you’re somewhere else in the world, here’s a highly random diversion for you anyway. … Continue reading →

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The Magic Spreadsheet at one year

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Nearly a year ago, I posted about the Magic Spreadsheet, which is a method to write at a steady pace by demanding you write a minimum of 250 words per day. In my case, it wasn’t the spreadsheet or the … Continue reading →

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Of mice and men and monkeys

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Caloric restriction is a diet in which humans or animals eat fewer calories than they normally would–anywhere from 20% to 50% less. It has become a fad diet for some, not just for losing weight (which is the obvious result), … Continue reading →

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GPI: a new way of planet-hunting

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

We’ve had the capability to find planets by taking pictures of them directly for a while now, usually in the infrared, but sometimes in visible light. But now we have the capability to do a whole lot more of it. … Continue reading →

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Reading the Bible

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

I have read every part of the Bible at least twice and probably a majority of it three times. But one thing I have not done is to read the whole thing cover to cover in order. So I decided … Continue reading →

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2014 is coming! Are we ready for it?

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

Science fiction author David Brin has argued here and elsewhere that the defining year that begins a new century is not the year ending in 00, but the year ending in 14. It’s an intriguing trend. After World War I … Continue reading →

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Mapping the galaxy: Gaia takes off in time for Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

Measuring distances in space is hard. Measuring them accurately is very hard, mainly because everything is so far away. The best method is to look at the stars from places that are very far apart. Like, say, the same place … Continue reading →

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No, Wi-Fi does not hurt plants–or anything else for that matter

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

Few things make me more irrationally angry than the news stories that circulate on the Internet every year or so about the supposed health hazards of cell phones and Wi-Fi signals. It seems like there’s no end of studies that … Continue reading →

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A second planet seen in visible light–and it’s a weird one

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

You may have recently heard about HD 106906b, the latest of many oddballs in the rapidly growing exoplanet family. This planet orbits far away from its star, far enough that it is not lost in the glare, and can be … Continue reading →

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Watch Comet ISON skim the Sun tomorrow

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

On Thanksgiving Day, the much-anticipated perihelion passage of Comet ISON will occur, and astronomers around the world will be watching. NASA is turning its fleet of Sun-observing spacecraft to watch as ISON plunges toward a fiery date with death or … Continue reading →

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