Category Archives: Astronomy

Cosmology meets Philanthropy — guest post by Jess Riedel

Posted on August 20, 2013 by chb

My colleague Jess Riedel recently attended a conference  exploring the connection between these seemingly disparate subjects, which led him to compose the following essay.–CHB People sometimes ask me what how my research will help society.  This question is familiar to … Continue reading →

Posted in Astrobiology, Astronomy, Economics, Off The Deep End, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Why the laity hope Einstein was wrong.

Posted on December 7, 2011 by chb

Although reputable news sources pointed out that most scientists think some more mundane explanation will be found for the too-early arrival of CERN-generated neutrinos in Gran Sasso, recently confirmed by a second round of experiments with much briefer pulse durations … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, General, Physics, Teaching | 1 Comment

Entangled LIGO

Posted on September 14, 2011 by sflammia

The quest to observe gravitational waves has been underway for several years now, but as yet there has been no signal. To try to detect gravitational waves, the LIGO collaboration basically uses huge kilometer-scale Michaelson-type interferometers, one of which is … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Physics, Quantum | 7 Comments

Geocentrism Revival

Posted on September 2, 2011 by sflammia

Seriously? A few conservative Roman Catholics are pointing to a dozen Bible verses and the church’s original teachings as proof that Earth is the center of the universe, the view that was at the heart of the church’s clash with Galileo … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Off The Deep End, Physics Bastardizations, Religion | 17 Comments

Tidbits

Posted on September 8, 2010 by dabacon

Penrose reviews Hawking and Mlodinow’s new book The Grand Design. Kim sends along a link to a classic telescope catalogs and manuals Mason Porter, after an inspiring talk with Aaron Clauset and Michelle Girvan (a not uncommon circumstance with these … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics, Programming | Leave a comment

Don't Forget To Look Up Tonight!

Posted on August 12, 2010 by dabacon

Perseids meteor shower peaking Thursday night through Friday morning. “For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” – Vincent van Gogh

Posted in Astronomy | 2 Comments

Many Paths Interpretation of Scientific Careers

Posted on April 8, 2010 by dabacon

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Posted in Astronomy, Off The Deep End, The Loony Bin Called Academia | 3 Comments

Glorious Dawn Record

Posted on November 6, 2009 by dabacon

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Posted in Astronomy, Music | 3 Comments

Apple Pie From Scratch

Posted on October 1, 2009 by dabacon

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Posted in Astronomy, Society | Leave a comment

The Most Depressing Results in Physics

Posted on September 4, 2009 by dabacon

I’m a pretty optimistic guy. Okay, I’m a really optimistic guy. But even my optimism has its limits when bashing up against the cold hard reality of what experiments plus our understanding of the laws of physics tells us about … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Off The Deep End, Physics | 73 Comments