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.

Nomads of the galaxy

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Far from the warmth and light of any star, there are still planets…depending on what you call them. There is no doubt that objects the size of planets have been found floating in space by themselves. There are several in … Continue reading →

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In the sky: the Double Cluster

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, as most of you are, then late autumn and early winter is a great time to see some of the most famous objects in the night sky, like the Pleiades, the Andromeda Galaxy, and … Continue reading →

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Intro to Celestia

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Have you ever wondered what the night sky looks like on Mars? Or Pluto? Or Alpha Centauri? How about finding out the relative positions of the planets on March 28, 2073 (as a science fiction writer might want to do)? … Continue reading →

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The “puffy planets”

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Under extremely high pressures, matter stops behaving normally. The atoms get squashed in weird ways and turn into a state called degenerate matter. Planets about as massive as Jupiter and larger are big enough to contain degenerate matter. This leads … Continue reading →

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November is National Novel Writing Month

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Every November, hundreds of thousands of people around the country and around the world join in the challenge of National Novel Writing Month, where the goal is to write a 50,000-word novel (about 175 pages) in just one month. It … Continue reading →

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Book review: Redshirts by John Scalzi

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

On the original Star Trek television show, any time Captain Kirk beamed down to an uncharted planet, he would take along a couple of nameless ensigns clad in bright red for security. Inevitably somebody on the away mission would die, … Continue reading →

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Italian scientists found guilty of manslaughter for failing to predict deadly earthquake

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Today, an Italian court convicted six seismologists and one government official of manslaughter for failing to predict a magnitude-6.3 earthquake that struck the city of L’Aquila on April 6, 2009, killing 309 people. They have been sentenced to six years … Continue reading →

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Yes, there is a planet at Alpha Centauri!

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Science fiction fans the world over are vindicated as astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have discovered a super-heated planet in the Alpha Centauri system. Better yet, it’s almost the same size as Earth! Alpha Centauri is a triple … Continue reading →

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Felix Baumgartner’s World Record Skydive

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

On Sunday, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner made a parachute jump from a high altitude balloon and became the first human to break the sound barrier unassisted as part of the Red Bull Stratos mission. Breaking the sound barrier isn’t that … Continue reading →

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SpaceX makes first contracted delivery to the International Space Station

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, has successfully launched its Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station (ISS), completing the first of 12 resupply missions under its $1.6 billion contract with NASA. Dragon delivered replacement parts for the … Continue reading →

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