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.

The end of spam?

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

Kaspersky Lab reported last week that spam email is on the decline, having fallen from 80%-85% of all email over the past few years to about 65% at the end of 2012. There are two main reasons for this. First … Continue reading →

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How to be a writer in 1 easy step

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

I know that at least some of the readers of this blog are also writers, and perhaps some of you want to start writing and aren’t quite sure where to start. Well, you’re in luck, because I am about to … Continue reading →

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Waterworlds

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

Super-Earths are odd things. They’re bigger than Earth, but smaller than gas giant planets, different from anything in our Solar System. The exact definition is a little fuzzy. Astronomers who find planets by the motions of their stars and usually … Continue reading →

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Finding little planets

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

The easiest planets to find are the biggest ones. The larger a planet is, the larger the effect on its parent star, which is what we can see. It’s also easiest to spot planets close to their stars, since they … Continue reading →

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Welcome to the…past?

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

I occasionally write about the development of new technologies that remind me that we really are living in “the Future“, but how about one that happened nearly 70 years ago? In a little-noticed story last week, The Telegraph reported that … Continue reading →

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2013: A look ahead

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

Happy New Year to all! Traditionally, the beginning of the year is a time to reflect and to look ahead, so here’s a look at what’s coming in 2013. March: Comet PANSTARRS could be the brightest comet since 2008, possibly … Continue reading →

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2012 in review: science, fiction, and other cool stuff

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

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 →

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In the sky: the Wolf Moon

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

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 →

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Planets of failed stars

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

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 →

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A brief, festive history of time travel

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

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 →

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