My Starbright newsletter — on the intersection of astronomy and disability, or “musings of a disabled stargazer,” if you will — would have launched almost a full year earlier if I hadn’t wrestled so long with which publication platform to choose. Everyone is on Substack, and the gravitational pull of that platform is strong. Some…
This past weekend, I saw a lunar halo for the first time. Apparently this phenomenon, also called a Moon ring or a 22° halo, isn’t uncommon. The effect is caused by the Moon’s light being refracted by ice crystals in the atmosphere. It looked especially cool with Jupiter appearing visually within the halo with the…
Taken from our driveway. Enjoy.
I don’t set New Year’s resolutions. It’s too easy to get amped up for a really big goal, with effort beginning on the 1st of January, and then all that momentum peters out sometimes within only a few days, or a couple of weeks at most. I tried setting a New Year’s resolution a few…
Each year when it comes time to put together my eligibility round-up, I feel a mixture of satisfaction and impostor syndrome. I’m grateful that I continue to have the opportunity to do this work, even more so that other people seem to like it. For 2025, my eligible works include the fifth title in my…
Each year, December comes like the relief at the end of a long exhale. I don’t give myself the entire month off, though I wish I could. Instead, I’m careful to schedule as little as possible so that I can rest and relax at the end of the year, and as I plan for what…
For years — decades, really — Halloween has always crept up on me. No matter how far in advance I try to prepare, the holiday is upon us before I’m ready. And then gone again just as quickly. I’ve long wanted to savor this favorite holiday, which often feels like the culmination of my favorite…
