Author: Matthew R. Francis
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An astronomical saga of star births, pancakes, and Kylo Ren
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] And if I can be shameless: Forbes pays according to traffic, so the more of you who share and visit and read my stuff, the better they pay me.…
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Testing Einstein’s theory with a new space probe to Mercury
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] And if I can be shameless: Forbes pays according to traffic, so the more of you who share and visit and read my stuff, the better they pay me.…
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Thinking scientists are smarter than other people hurts us
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] I’ve started contributing to the Forbes Science page again! This is my second new contribution; stay tuned for plenty more. (And if I can be shameless: Forbes pays according…
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The gravitational waltz of the Milky Way’s satellites
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] I’ve started contributing to the Forbes Science page again! This is my first new contribution, relating to the second data release from the Gaia survey telescope. (And if I…
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To know if there are aliens, we need to ask the right questions
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] Are We Alone in the Universe? How can we know if life exists elsewhere in the cosmos? To answer that question, we have to place Earth — and Earth…
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Space Wombats and Penguin Poop: Spying on Animals from Orbit
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] Penguin Spotting, and Other Cool Satellite Tricks You’d be surprised what you can see from 300 miles up For Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine: At first glance the picture…
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Elon Musk’s plan for humanity’s survival lacks vision
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] Elon Musk Isn’t All He’s Cracked Up to Be Elon Musk cares about humanity’s survival, but his stated vision about how that survival should be achieved is not exactly…
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Yerkes Observatory: 1897-2018
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] A few years ago, I visited Yerkes Observatory while driving across the country to gather material for a book that never came to fruition. It’s a marvelous relic of…
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Like a tiger’s stripes, Jupiter’s colorful bands are more than just pretty colors
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] Jupiter: The Large Adult Son of the Solar System “We are really learning about a brand new Jupiter in many ways.” For The Daily Beast: Everything about Jupiter is…
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Swarming in time, synchronizing in space
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] This article is a little different from the fare you’re used to getting from me: it’s for SIAM News, which is the glossy magazine for members of the Society…
Bowler Hat Science 