Category Archives: Physics

Pioneer Anomaly is no longer anomalous

Posted on April 19, 2012 by fredbortz

Thanks to funding from the Planetary Society, of which I am a proud member, the “Pioneer Anomaly” has been definitively resolved. Physics has prevailed over speculation. Over the past 20 years, some people, including a few scientists, have looked at … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Planetary Science, Space and Astronomy, Technology | 2 Comments

Return of the Prodigal Science Blogger

Posted on February 28, 2012 by fredbortz

It’s been several months since I contributed here, but I expect to be back with regular blogs in about a month and shorter posts before then. I have been busy writing my newly released middle-grade book, Meltdown! The Nuclear Disaster … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Entry, Book Reviews, Climate Change, Physics, Science and Public Policy, Science Books | Leave a comment

More on Pioneer Anomaly

Posted on July 22, 2011 by fredbortz

This new information makes it pretty clear that the cause of the Pioneer Anomaly, that is the deviation of the Pioneer spacecraft from the trajectories dictated by gravity alone, is due to thermal sources internal to the spacecraft. A satisfying … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Entry, Physics, Space and Astronomy | Leave a comment

Review of The Quantum Story: A History in 40 Moments by Jim Baggott

Posted on June 17, 2011 by fredbortz

A shorter version of this review appeared last weekend in the Dallas Morning News, without the opening limerick. For more of my reviews, visit The Science Shelf Book review Archive, which includes reviews of a number of books about physics.

Posted in Book Reviews, Physics | Leave a comment

Review of Once Before Time: A Whole Story of the Universe

Posted on February 6, 2011 by fredbortz

Once Before Time: A Whole Story of the Universe by Martin Bojowald (Knopf, 2010, $27.95, 320 pages) Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz

Posted in Book Reviews, Physics, Science Books | 1 Comment

Review of Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science by Ian Sample

Posted on January 17, 2011 by fredbortz

Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science by Ian Sample (Basic Books, 2010, $25.95, 320 pages) This review by Fred Bortz was also published in the Dallas Morning News.

Posted in Book Reviews, Physics, Science Books | 1 Comment

Anti-matter beaming out into space from Earth

Posted on January 11, 2011 by fredbortz

Sometimes the news releases that cross my desk astonish me. This was one of them. It comes from NASA’s Fermi Gamma Ray Telescope. Fermi was launched in 2008, replacing the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) that was deorbited in 2000. … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Planetary Science, Space and Astronomy | 3 Comments

Review of The 4% Universe by Richard Panek

Posted on January 10, 2011 by fredbortz

The 4% Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek ( Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 288 pages, $26.00, January, 2011) Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz

Posted in Book Reviews, Physics, Science Books | 2 Comments

Follow science blogger/children’s author on Facebook

Posted on December 17, 2010 by fredbortz

If you are a regular reader of my blog postings, you know that I am a passionate, opinionated middle-of-the-roader. I bring the same passion to my writing for young readers, but I want them to learn to form their own … Continue reading →

Posted in Astrobiology, Blog Entry, Climate Change, Energy, Life Science and Evolution, Physics, Planetary Science, Science and Public Policy, Space and Astronomy | Leave a comment

For people who love good children’s science books

Posted on December 6, 2010 by fredbortz

I’ve bitten the bullet and created a Facebook page for myself as an author of children’s science books. If you know teachers or librarians who care about good science books for children, or middle graders and teens who might enjoy … Continue reading →

Posted in about, Astrobiology, Climate Change, Energy, media, Physics, Planetary Science, Space and Astronomy | Leave a comment