Category Archives: Cosmology

Neil deGrasse Tyson with James Trefil: COSMIC QUERIES

Posted on Thursday 10 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going (National Geographic, 2021, 311pp, including 22pp acknowledgements, further reading, illustrations credits, index, and about the authors.) Like Tyson’s one-year later book, TO INFINITY AND BEYOND … Continue reading →

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A Cosmic Perspective, and MAGA Kibble

Posted on Tuesday 1 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

I have a bunch of Trump/MAGA kibble today, but I’ll start with two quotes from the enlightened fringe of humanity. Carl Sagan, from his book with Ann Druyan, SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS. (Which I reviewed here.) “We humans are like … Continue reading →

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Deep Thinkers

Posted on Saturday 23 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Hakeem Oluseyi Lucas Bean, provisionally – – – I dwell too much on MAGA (because they are an imminent threat); the very opposite of them are the deep thinkers of our time. The ones making progress in the world. Big … Continue reading →

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Bobby Azarian: THE ROMANCE OF REALITY

Posted on Tuesday 24 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: How the universe organizes itself to create life, consciousness, and cosmic complexity. (BenBella Books, June 2022, 306pp, including 26pp of acknowledgements, notes, and index) This is the third of three books I read this past January, all with vaguely … Continue reading →

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Because It’s There, and Because We Can

Posted on Sunday 30 November 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Big Think, Ethan Siegel, 28 Nov 2025: Ask Ethan: What’s the point of exploring the Universe?, subtitled “There are so many problems, all across planet Earth, that harm and threaten humanity. Why invest in researching the Universe?” (My first comment, … Continue reading →

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Secular Values, and Reality as Evil

Posted on Friday 22 August 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Two thematic follow-ups to yesterday’s post. OnlySky, Bruce Ledewitz, 20 Aug 2025: Can people thrive in a secular society?, subtitled “Are secular values the cause of our malaise?” Yesterday’s post extended a theme on this blog concerning a range or … Continue reading →

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Timothy Ferris, COMING OF AGE IN THE MILKY WAY

Posted on Thursday 1 May 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

(Morrow, 1988, 495pp, including 107pp of appendices (a glossary and a timeline history of the universe), notes, bibliography, and index) This is the first big substantial nonfiction book I’ve read in a while, especially one specifically about science. Ferris is … Continue reading →

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Daughter of Dispatches from Reality

Posted on Wednesday 9 April 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Two pieces today: about the complexity of the universe, and the current cosmological crisis. – – – Quanta is one of those magazine/websites that, like Big Think and Nautilus and perhaps Noema and no doubt others, cover general concepts in … Continue reading →

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Tyson & Walker, TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

Posted on Saturday 8 March 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Lindsey Nyx Walker Subtitled “A Journey of Cosmic Discovery” (National Geographic, Sep. 2023, 319pp, including 16pp acknowledgements, further reading, illustrations credits, and index.) This is literally a heavier-than-usual book that is nevertheless a light-weight read (even … Continue reading →

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DEI and NASA

Posted on Friday 7 February 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

David Wallace-Wells on the sabotage of the American government; Paul Krugman on “autogolpe” and the Musk/Trump chaos; Heather Cox Richardson on how Republicans have, ever since Reagan, convinced voters that there’s an enemy “deep state” out to destroy their country; … Continue reading →

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