Category Archives: Current events

The Transit of Mercury Is Tomorrow

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

Hmm…what to write about? I finished my series on evolution…I have a couple other things I’m working on, but they aren’t ready yet…what’s in the news? Oh, there’s a transit of Mercury tomorrow. I guess that’s the biggest science news … Continue reading →

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The Moon Landing at 50

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

Unless you’ve been living under a Moon rock, you’re probably aware of how significant today and this week are. July 20, 2019: the fiftieth anniversary of the first Moon landing. What can I say about this event that won’t have … Continue reading →

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A Photo of a Black Hole: What’s Next?

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

I mentioned at the beginning of the year that I never really know what to do about blogging about science news. I don’t really know what to say that hasn’t already been in all the news articles. This week’s first … Continue reading →

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Happy Pi Day

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

Celebrate by eating pie. Preferably at 1:59 and 26 seconds. Or memorizing digits of pi. Or reading science fiction because it’s also Einstein’s birthday. I recommend Contact because it involves both Einstein-Rosen bridges (wormholes) and pi!

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A Completely Non-Political State of the Union Analysis

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

So…this is not the result I expected. No, I didn’t get Bingo with the card I made. But this is a good opportunity to make a brief analysis of President Trump’s speech—not a political analysis, but an analysis as a … Continue reading →

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My Bingo Card for Tonight

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

I don’t normally talk about politics on this blog, but since President Trump’s State of the Union address is tonight, I thought I’d make an exception. I encourage you to watch the speech, a little bit so you can keep … Continue reading →

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Sunday’s Total Lunar Eclipse

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

On the night of Sunday-Monday, January 20-21, there will be a total lunar eclipse. (Official NASA info.) This eclipse will be especially significant because it will be the first total lunar eclipse visible from most or all of North America … Continue reading →

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On Covering Science News

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

I feel like I’ve been pretty lax about talking about science news stories here. This blog is called Science Meets Fiction, but lately, when I have time to post at all, it only seems to be about fiction. Part of … Continue reading →

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New Horizons and Ultima Thule: Where to Watch

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Alex R. Howe

Update: it turns out that the coverage of the Ultima Thule flyby is “forward funded”, so it will proceed on NASA TV as normal. New Horizons, the spacecraft that famously imaged Pluto three years ago, will be making history again … Continue reading →

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The Kilogram Is Redefined (and Other Units, too)

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Alex R. Howe

The kilogram, as my international readers will know is the official unit of mass in the metric system—or more precisely, the International System of Units (SI). But less well known is that until today, the kilogram has been defined not … Continue reading →

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